Highly esteemed New Zealand landscape photographer, Andris Apse’s, The Deep South combines images with his own thoughts and observations and with writing from Laurence Fearnley, Keri Hulme and Dr Hinemoa Elder.
In his introduction, Apse tells us that Fiordland was the reason he became a photographer and that this book represents an extension of ‘the geographical boundaries of my passion for the untamed wilderness.’ The images speak to this passion; diverse, haunting, stark, bleak, sometimes softly shimmering, they evoke wonder and a sense of awe at the natural beauty of the sub-Antarctic islands and the South Island. The albatross above the Auckland Islands, the snow showers in Fiordland, the inner sounds of Fiordland National Park on a calm day create wonderful variety yet a cumulative sense of the grandeur of these land/sea/ sky-scapes.
The writing beautifully complements the images. Laurence Fearnley’s ‘Rivers, South’ gives an eloquent account and descriptions of South Island rivers, Keri Hulme’s essay ‘Te Rua o Te Moko’ speaks movingly of the first human visitors to Fiordland and the stories associated with them and Dr Hinemoa’s ‘Hinehukapapa’ takes us to the heart of her journey into Antarctica.
Superbly composed with breath-taking images and writing which prompts the reader to pause, consider, reflect, The Deep South is a book to give both to others and to yourself to treasure.
Reviewer: Paddy Richardson
Penguin Books