Landscape photo of the Castlepoint lighthouse, Wairarapa, NZ

The Best Landscape Photographers In New Zealand

the best landscape photographers from New Zealand to follow on Instagram

It’s no secret that New Zealand has some breathtaking scenery. With such a diverse landscape of mountains, coastline, rivers, lakes, glaciers, islands, and forest, it’s not surprising that photographers from around the world flock here. It also isn’t surprising that New Zealand has produced some of the world’s best landscape photographers.

I consider myself incredibly lucky to call New Zealand home. Among many reasons is that growing up in New Zealand gave me a love for the outdoors and landscape photography. I’ve been inspired and influenced by many photographers over the years, but it’s the ones that capture my stunning homeland that have made the greatest impact on me.

New Zealand’s Best Landscape Photographers

I’ve created a short list of who I consider to be some of the best landscape photographers in New Zealand. It’s by no means exhaustive, as there are far too many to mention here. Most of these photographers are native to New Zealand, but there are a few “honorary Kiwis” in there too. Some are Instagram superstars that you’ve probably come across already, and some have a more modest following. Not that that means anything. They’re all equally worth taking a look at.

Chris McLennan

Chris is a Kiwi photographer that I’ve been following for years and has been a big influence on me. As well as landscapes, he has an impressive portfolio of travel and wildlife photography from New Zealand and all over the world. He’s been doing it a long time, and it shows.

Rach Stewart

Also from my beautiful hometown of Mt Maunganui, Rach Stewart has built an impressive following in a few short years. Her photography captures the New Zealand landscape in a way that makes you stop and stare. How she manages to make time for it between being a mum and running landscape photography workshops I will never know.



William Patino

Originally from Australia, William moved to the stunning Fiordland region of New Zealand after falling in love with the landscapes of the South Island. His moody landscapes and seascapes have drawn me in for some time now, and I’m sure you’ll love following his adventures around New Zealand and the world.

Chris Gin

Chris is another Kiwi photographer who’s work I have admired for some time. Although he’s based in Auckland, he clearly manages to escape pretty regularly because some of his landscapes of the mountains of New Zealand will take your breath away.

Laurie Winter

Laurie is a Wellington-based photographer who shoots mainly New Zealand landscapes. Her images are rich with colour and depth, and seem to include everything from the top to the bottom of New Zealand.

Brent Purcell

Based in Hamilton, Brent specialises in long exposure landscape photography. His landscapes feature a lot of mountains, which New Zealand is well known for. I’ve enjoyed following Brent’s photography for some time now, and I’m sure you will also.

Daniel Murray

A South Island native, Daniel has an intimate knowledge of the landscapes of the area, and it shows. His photography is gorgeous. He also runs landscape photography workshops alongside Rach Stewart with Pure Photo Adventures.



Trey Ratcliff

Trey is a household name in the photography world. He’s one of the most followed photographers on the web in thanks partly bringing HDR photography to the masses. No matter how you feel about HDR, Trey is an incredibly warm, generous person, and is constantly pushing the limits of what’s possible in photography. Although he’s American, he’s been based in Queenstown, New Zealand for some time now, so we’re happy to claim him as our own.

Joanna & Jake

Originally from Australia, Joanna and Jake have been making a splash with their photography since moving to New Zealand. If you’re a fan of astrophotography, you’re gonna love their feed. It’s chock full of New Zealand’s gorgeous mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, and auroras.

Who Did I Miss?

Who would you put on your list of the best landscape photographers in New Zealand? If there’s anyone you think is deserving to be included, leave a comment and I’ll check them out and maybe even add them. I’d also love it if you check out my Instagram profile and give me a follow 🙂

Similar Posts

6 Comments

  1. marco baldini says:

    Your photos look amazing. I would love to go here after reading your post. Thanks for some great tips on where to go

  2. Hey, Rowan,
    Andris Apse? Craig Potton?
    Maybe not so active these days, but classic Kiwi landscape photographers, I think.
    Cheers,
    Daniel

    1. Andris Apse is definitely a legend, but hasn’t been active on IG for a couple of years. I haven’t come across Craig Potton.

      1. May Rowe-Spencer says:

        Realise I’m a bit late to this party but still – Craig Potton def needs to be on here! Hope you’ve come across him in the meantime, but if not you’re in for a treat

    1. You’re welcome Chris. Always a pleasure to see your beautiful work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *