An Indian photographer has travelled New Zealand taking pictures of Gandalf the wizard from The Lord of the Rings movies with his stunning images revealing the mystical side of Middle Earth.

Akhil Suhas, 21, spent six months touring New Zealand and documented his 15,000km journey by featuring locals and tourists dressed up as the wizard Gandalf in every photograph.

Suhas, who gained 5,000 Instagram followers after posting his images, said he wanted his pictures to stand out against the mass of stunning but similar landscape photography of New Zealand. Including Gandalf in every image gave the pictures scale and focus.

Gandalf at Lake Marian. Photograph: Akhil Suhas/Instagram

“I wanted a recurring subject in my photos. When you have so many photographers visiting the country, I figured that I needed to do something to set me apart. Then, I was watching the Lord of the Rings for the 5th time and then the idea struck”



Suhas spent portions of his six-month trip with a photographer friend. But when he was travelling alone he got into the habit of asking strangers to dress up as Gandalf and pose for his photographs. Throughout the entire trip no one turned him down.



Gandalf at Cathedral Cove, New Zealand. Photograph: Akhil Suhas

“The trick is to strike up a conversation and then explain my project and then ask them if they’d like to dress up!,” he said.



“Luckily, not a single person said no as they must’ve realised that if you’re in Middle Earth, might as well live the fantasy of being Gandalf.”



At Blue Pools, Hasst Pass. Photograph: Akhil Suhas

Suhas funded his unusual journey by occasionally working in hostels, and also put a mattress in the back of his station-wagon to cut down on costs.



“Before I started this journey, I thought to myself, it doesn’t matter that I might spend a bit of money of this trip, I have my whole life ahead of me to earn money and pay off student loans and bills. At the end of the day, your memories last longer than material things.”

