Landscape nominee

I arrive on top of the hill with the solitary White Birch. Even though it is isolated, another tree has come into my field of view to the right; a small Rowan asking for attention, shouting loudly for its size with its bright red berries breaking the silence of this landscape where only shades of white belong. I notice some little twigs—probably the top of a buried tree—breaking the snow, a distraction that also breaks the silence. Just as in our busy minds there is always something to distract us from being in the moment, I considered these three elements—Birch, Rowan, and the twig tree—their placement within the landscape.

Hokkaido, Japan.

Full-time photographic artist and educator based in Wanaka, New Zealand.

Richard Young’s work offers a fresh approach to New Zealand landscape photography, defining himself as a photographic artist who works within the landscape. His vision has evolved over years from capturing the grand vista to focusing on an emotional and expressive engagement with the landscape—creating distinctive, personal bodies of work.

While most of this work is made in New Zealand, some of his collections originate from time spent in Antarctica, Africa and England. “The location itself does not define my work—I do not seek to simply to represent–the landscape is a canvas for my expressive and emotional response”. Richard’s photographs render nature in a way you could not see with your own eyes and are “approached with an authenticity that does not break their original connection with nature”.