Photographer Travels Across New Zealand With Gandalf Costume, And His Photos Are Epic
Who can be a better guide of New Zealand (Middle Earth) than Tolkien’s Gandalf himself? The guy has been traveling around that place for more than 2,000 years, so he probably knows his way around. That was the idea behind photographer Akhil Suhas’s 6-month trip across the country with a Gandalf costume.
Suhas called his 9,000-mile adventure #GandalfTheGuide and documented it using photos. "I wanted a recurring subject in my photos and with so many photographers visiting the country, I figured that I needed to do something to set me apart!" he said. "I was watching the LOTR for the 5th time when I figured New Zealand is famous for 2 things: its landscapes and the LOTR + Hobbit Trilogies. So why not combine the two by having Gandalf in the landscapes?"
At first, he tried self-portraits: "I tried the camera on a tripod with a timer shot, didn’t work for me," Suhas said. "So, I started asking the people I met along the way if they wanted to put on the outfit." Surprisingly, people agreed, and Suhas created an amazing small-person-big-landscape photo tour of New Zealand.
More info: Instagram (h/t: petapixel)
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I've been there.. awesome spot. It's actually really close to where Hobbiton is (Matamata)
WOW. New Zealand is the place I one day dream of travelling to. After travelling the world (hopefully I will one day have enough money to do so) there is no where else I would rather spend the rest of my days.
The tree growing out of or floating in the water makes it appear even more magical. This photo makes me think a grand battle just ended, you can see the flames of war still smoldering in the background. Gandalf is standing on the shore, staring out at the bleak land remembering those who did not survive. Also, why is there a fire in the background. It doesn't look like a campfire, either, more like an actual forest fire.
The magnificent rays of sunlight streaming from the clouds make me think this is in the very beginning of middle-earth. Another one of my favorites.
Narnia! lol. This is the place you see when the kids arrive to Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia 2!
The magnitude of the massive mountains is illustrated by the scale of the buildings across the water.
These photos are absolutely beautiful! Where were all of these taken?
These photos are absolutely beautiful! Where were all of these taken?
