Nature nominee

New Zealand is said to be the place where you can experience the four seasons in one day. While making this a difficult place to prepare for, it makes it a breeze to photograph. You're bound to find a spectacular scene unfold if you venture far enough. And when those daily seasons change, you're in for something special; illuminated fog on a still lake, a crepuscular ray peaking through the swarm of rain clouds, sunlight that seems to have physical mass blanketing a sea of mountains...New Zealand is home to dreamscapes, and that comes with the beauty as well as the foreboding power nature brings.

An American blessed to be trapped in New Zealand. Having lived abroad for the last decade (Japan first, now NZ), I have gotten to explore landscapes that I never imagined of seeing. Although my traveling bones have grown weary, breathing fresh air from the alps or camping under the stars on a secluded beach offer me the impetus needed to seek more.