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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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Kym O'Mahony 8 years ago
This is Wai-O-Tapu (which means sacred water in Maori) Its in Rotorua, in the North Island.
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Dawn Lexvold 8 years ago
The picture would be spectacular if it didn't have that damn Gandalf in it! This goes for all of the photos. Too bad they're ruined.
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Elizabeth Newton 8 years ago
I've been there.. awesome spot. It's actually really close to where Hobbiton is (Matamata)
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Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
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.
Natasha Gall 8 years ago
There are lots of place in NZ this could be, but most likely along the Mountain range of the South Island
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Brion Woods 8 years ago
The Grey havens are west of the Ered Luin, in Lindon. You don't take a boat to the Havens, but you sail from there to Valinor (assuming you can find the Straight Way).
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Bilbo Baggins 7 years ago
You mean "The Desolation of Smaug" sorry I had to
Load More Replies... Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
That water, though... it is fricking mesmerizing. Why have I never seen water this color? That's beautiful!
Phil Fahey 8 years ago
It's glacial water. The colour is actually fine rock dust from the action of the glacier on the surface of the rocks. It's known as rock flour, we have many glacial lakes that are the same colour.
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Pio Timbancaya 8 years ago
careful, the elves living there are not so like their kin on rivendale.
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Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
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.
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Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
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.
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Donald Stanley 8 years ago
Might not be desert, just back side of coastal sand dunes, but yes it looks like desert
Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
WHAT..... I didn't know there were deserts in New Zealand!!! Spectacular!
Phil Fahey 8 years ago
We have several deserts, but not of the sand dune kind.
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Charlene Pratt 8 years ago
Narnia! lol. This is the place you see when the kids arrive to Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia 2!
Grant Horan 8 years ago
Correct Cathedral Cove Hahei, Coromandel NZ Hot Water beach is also just down the road
Load More Replies... Grant Horan 8 years ago
How did he do that ...!!! How do you get a picture of this WITHOUT tourists walking into your shot ..?
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Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
OMG. I LOVE mist/fog. Especially on mountains, over rivers or in forests. Again, spectacular.
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David Shannon 8 years ago
The magnitude of the massive mountains is illustrated by the scale of the buildings across the water.
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Phil Fahey 8 years ago
Cape Reinga, Far North. The meeting point of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The point beyond the lighthouse is known as Te Rerenga Wairua, and in the Maori culture is where the soul departs to the hereafter.
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Fandoms Rise 8 years ago
I don't understand, how is the water in New Zealand such a perfect color?
Tom Clark 8 years ago
This might help... http://www.rotorua-travel-secrets.com/blue-and-green-lakes-rotorua.html
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What do you think ?
Camille Lebrun 8 years ago
These photos are absolutely beautiful! Where were all of these taken?
Camille Lebrun 8 years ago
These photos are absolutely beautiful! Where were all of these taken?
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