Black and white photography in Tongariro National Park captures the Central Plateau volcanoes, Mount Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu and Tongariro, in monochrome. Stephen Milner is a New Zealand fine art photographer whose black and white prints of the park are available as limited and open editions, made to order and shipped worldwide.
Tongariro National Park sits at the heart of the North Island: active volcanoes, old lava fields and alpine desert. It is a dual World Heritage site, gifted to the nation by Ngati Tuwharetoa. I work here in black and white because these mountains are about form. Take the colour from a volcano and you are left with its shape and the weather moving around it: the cone, the ridgeline, the snow and shadow. That is what holds the eye, and what connects you to a place like this.
Mount Ngauruhoe
Ngauruhoe is the near perfect cone most people picture when they think of the park. Ngauruhoe Cone, Tongariro National Park and Volcanic Light, Mount Ngauruhoe catch it in different moods.
Ruapehu
Ruapehu is the giant of the plateau, broad and snow covered. Ruapehu, The Floating Volcano is the mountain lifting clear of low cloud.
Light on the mountains
The weather here turns quickly, and the light with it. Ngauruhoe's Glow, Tongariro National Park is one of those brief moments the whole plateau seems to change. This is the volcanic country behind my photobook Volcanic Aotearoa.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy black and white prints of Tongariro National Park?
Stephen Milner's black and white photographs of Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu are available as limited and open edition fine art prints at stephen-milner.com, finished under acrylic glass or on alu-dibond and shipped worldwide.
Why does black and white suit the Tongariro volcanoes?
These mountains are about form. Taking the colour away leaves a volcano's shape and the weather around it, the cone, the ridgeline, the snow and shadow, which is what holds the eye and connects you to the place.
Are the prints limited edition?
Both. Limited edition prints are released in a fixed edition and retire once they sell out, and each comes with a certificate of authenticity. Open Edition Classics stay available at a more accessible price. Every piece is made to order and shipped worldwide.
See more in my black and white collection, or read my story.
