I’m an early-sixties kiwi, approaching the end of a career in the natural sciences, and still captivated by New Zealand’s wild landscapes and species. Photography has been an enduring part of my life since I was a teenager, when I took my first ‘snaps’ on a Brownie Starlet. From there I moved through a succession of 35 mm reflex cameras, before ending up with a Linhoff 4×5 – it delivered great results, but carting 15 kg of camera around in the outdoors is definitely a young person’s game. With the arrival of digital, my photography revived. I’ve owned several digital Olympus’s, but now shoot exclusively with a Sony A7RII and a selection of mostly Voigtlander, Zeiss and Canon lenses. If used with care, it’s capable of turning out results almost as good as the Linhoff, with the Zeiss Loxias in particular rivaling any of my old Schneider-Kreuznachs and Rodenstocks.
Through my working life, I’ve been fortunate to work in a broad range of conservation-related science, including the ecology of New Zealand’s native forests, modelling the spatial distributions of our native freshwater fish species, and designing marine protected areas for New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone. My current work is on the prioritisation of management for New Zealand’s native ecosystems and threatened species – a role that occasionally takes me to spectacular parts of our beautiful country.
This blog is my way of sharing New Zealand’s natural world. I’m happy to supply copies of my images for not-for-profit uses that promote New Zealand conservation, provided that they acknowledgement is given. Prices for other uses are available on request. I have now also begun to sell some prints, as described under the ‘print sales’ menu.
If you were looking for me wearing my other hat – consultancy work in conservation science – then please feel free to contact me via a message left on this site
John Leathwick 
Looks good John