I originally started traveling to New Zealand for commercial photo and video work. Visually, there are few place on earth that exude the beauty of that place AND it has the benefit of being opposite seasonally (opposite hemisphere) from most of the brands/agencies etc that I work for. Great 6 month lead time for campaign creation, media buying, etc. It’s geographically very dense with variety as well. It’s a home run for productions. As such I’ve been heading down there to shoot campaigns for many years.
It was in these travels for commercial work that I fell in love with the New Zealand landscape and started a personal project aiming to capture that beauty from the air. Nothing too serious…more casual initially. But in the past 3 years it has grown more serious with each return. I’ve learned that mountains and landscapes can often photograph a lot like people. They have moods, personalities, essences. Capturing those has become the goal of my Aerial New Zealand project.
At the beginning of this Chase Jarvis RAW vid, you’ll see the door come off of the helicopter, you’ll see my shooting rig, and some safety measures…but the real fun begins after that where we’re buzzing above the Southern Alps of New Zealand, up canyons, and across deltas making pictures–both still and moving. Flying around in a helicopter above what I’d argue is one-of-if-not-THE most beautiful landscape in the world is humbling and stunning and so many things at the same time–not to mention just effing cool. I hope you enjoy the vid. There’s a handful of still images from the end of the video after the jump…
I’ve had the good fortune of shooting out of helicopters for more than a decade…and can say that I never get over how fun it is. Having probably taken 100 or more rides, it never gets old. I’m grateful to have worked with some of the best pilots in the world as well. In this video, Alfie (Queenstown Heliworks) works his magic. Thank you Alfie.
Needless to say, if you ever get a chance to fly, you must absolutely grab that chance.
Check out the images below, but also feel free to check out a bigger gallery selection of images from this project here.
Happy to answer any aerial photography questions you might have in the comments. Thanks for spending some time with the video.
An awesome opportunity resulting in some amazing photos. I can certainly see why New Zealand inspires you. I would love a similar opportunity here in Colorado.
Really Amazing work. I’d love to get out in the plane and capture aerials of really remote natural areas. I travelled to New Zealand when I was a teenager and these photos and videos reminded me how varied the geography is! Really impressive work.
Most of my aerial photography work is of commercial properties and construction sites in and around Philadelphia in the US. You can view it online here http://duncan-pearson.artistwebsites.com/index.html
Hopefully in the future I’ll be able to get out and shoot some more natural settings!
:O
This is a bit of an aside but, as a kiwi who loves your work, I am so stoked that you love New Zealand. That’s awesome.
Is NZ a common favourite among super pros such as yourself or are you just super clever?
Sorry for the fanboy astonishment but this is mind-boggling awesome. How often do you come down?
Was it Fiordland wasn’t it?
Great work indeed, twas really nice to watch the vid, even I am living here 🙂
I’m still amazed by the NZ landscape.
Cheers,
P
Again, another great video. I am scared of heights so kudos to you and your balls of steel. I almost passed out just watching the video. I love all the photos but the first one is definitely my favorite. Your black and white images have a certain ingredient that differentiates them from most black and white photos I see other places.
Keep them coming and I’m always grateful for any behind-the-scenes we get 🙂