Peter's World

"Winter Wonderland"

"Frustrated by Arthurs Pass being closed due to heavy snow, I thought I could try and sneak up the back way through Porter’s Pass, that might work? I’d spent the day before driving around the Hakatere in heavy snow and I had got quite adept at installing the snow chains on my rental car. What could possibly go wrong?

Off I went, ignoring the road closed sign and I think I did pretty well, but I just couldn't get past this last corner, the snow was simply too deep and I promptly got stuck. Having been so obsessed with getting through and reluctant to stop at all - for fear of getting stuck, actually being stuck now had forced me to look away from the road and take in this view - just look at it!

To heck with the car I thought, better to capture some images of this great vista first, I would worry about getting the car out later. So after my camera had a thorough workout, I somehow managed to pull off a crazy u-turn and successfully freed my car from the snow. I went flying back down the same way I had come up and then by the time I got back to the main road near Springfield, the highway to Arthurs Pass was re-opening and I continued on to the west coast. But boy what a crazy morning, yes it was all a bit dodgy, but I got the shots!"

Equipment: 60Mp Phase One DB + Mamiya AFD 645 + 80mm lens

Exposure: 1/250 sec @ f22 ISO 400

11 frames stitched for maximum detail & clarity. Also available is an extreme version, composed from 52 frames which is capable of enlargements >2.5m high

Location: Porters Pass, Canterbury

Brief video taken shortly afterwards (also shows where I got stuck in the snow!):

Winter Wonderland video

Limited Edition: 75 prints (total all sizes), individually numbered, personally signed & certified

Year of Release: 2017

Printer: Peter personally prints all his 100% cotton-rag paper & archival canvas on an HP Z9+ PS printer (9 colour "Vivera" archival pigment inkset, giclée process)

Print Permanence: >250 years indoors (paper & canvas prints), as tested on HP Z9+ printer by Wilhelm Research Institute, California http://www.wilhelm-research.com/hp/Z9.html

Copyright: Peter Latham 2017

“When Peter delivered our pieces, we couldn't believe the incredible detail. The images on his website - impressive as they are - really didn't do our prints justice!“