FAQs
Q. Where exactly was this photo taken?
A. Location details aren’t always shared publicly.
Some of my photos include location details in the description, but other times I choose not to share exact locations publicly. This can be due to privacy, protecting certain places, or the significant time and effort involved in scouting and planning shots.
If you’re genuinely interested in a location for a personal reason — for example, if it’s somewhere meaningful to you or you’re considering a print — please send me a direct message rather than asking in the comments, and I’m happy to chat.
Q. Are your images real or fake?
A. All images are real photographs of real New Zealand locations.
No AI-generated skies. No fake mountains. No stock composites.
Night images use standard photography techniques (long exposure, stacking, tracking etc) to capture more detail and colour than the human eye can normally see.
What you’re seeing is a faithful representation of real moments, captured with professional equipment and careful planning.
Every alignment — Milky Way, moonrise, or star field — is planned and captured on location using astronomy planning tools, not digitally fabricated.
Q: Why don’t you use a large or intrusive watermark on your photos?
A: Large, intrusive watermarks don’t offer much real protection anymore. With modern tools like Photoshop and AI, even large watermarks can usually be removed by anyone determined to misuse an image.
The small number of people who do misuse images were never likely to pay for them anyway, while heavy watermarks significantly reduce image quality, engagement, and reach on social media — as people are less likely to engage with or share images that feel visually obstructed.
I use a small, unobtrusive watermark and retain full copyright on all my work. For me, it’s about balancing protection with reach, image quality, and the viewing experience.
Q: Why do your prints cost more than standard photo prints?
A: When you purchase one of my prints, you're not simply paying for paper and ink.
You're purchasing a finished piece of photographic artwork that represents the entire process behind creating the image.
Many of my photographs require extensive planning, travel, specialist photographic equipment, favourable weather conditions, and in the case of night-sky images, advanced techniques and equipment that go well beyond ordinary photography.
Some images represent hours of work in the field, while others are the result of multiple trips over months or even years before conditions finally align.
Once an image is captured, additional time is invested in processing, colour management, print preparation, quality control, and ensuring the final print accurately reflects the scene as photographed.
On top of this, all prints are produced as archival-quality fine art prints using premium papers and pigment inks designed for long-term display.
My goal is to create prints that are not only visually striking, but are also worthy of the time, effort, and craftsmanship that went into creating the original photograph.
Q: What are fine art prints?
A: All photographic prints sold through Brendan Larsen Photography are fine art prints.
Fine art prints are produced using premium archival papers and professional pigment inks, rather than the lower-cost materials typically used for standard retail photo printing. The result is superior colour accuracy, smoother tonal transitions, deeper blacks, and significantly improved longevity.
This is particularly important for landscape, night-sky and astrophotography images, where subtle colour gradients and fine detail can easily be lost with lower-quality printing methods.
My prints are produced by professional print labs using archival materials designed to resist fading and maintain their appearance for many years when displayed under normal conditions.
While fine art prints cost more to produce than standard photo prints, they are intended to be premium display pieces that accurately represent the original photograph and can be enjoyed for decades.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via my contact form
or by sending me a direct message on Facebook or Instagram