His skills with a camera and great patience formed the foundations of his new exhibition, "My Lens on the Landscape", opening in the Arrowtown Gallery on Thursday, April 5, for two weeks.
The centrepiece of the collection is a large image of Aoraki-Mt Cook titled Dawn Glow, which depicts the day's first rays of sun lighting the mountain.
There will be a dozen other framed photographs in the section.
A series of 10 images of the Maniototo landscape is titled Symbol and Metaphor.
The Dunedin-born 64-year-old developed his passion for photography in 2007 and attended many workshops in New Zealand, Australia and Scotland. He first exhibited in the gallery two years ago.
Gallery manager Anne Mackersy said McLean "has a huge amount of patience to wait for the exact moment for that image and he has a stunning eye for what he does".
McLean said he was drawn to the landscape, possibly because of his academic background as a geographer.
"I do not attempt to produce visual records, as in 'I was there and saw this'. Rather, I attempt to communicate 'I was in this place and saw it like this'.
"This approach is more 'impressionistic' than 'representational' as it asks viewers to look at everyday subjects in a way that they possibly have never done before. Hopefully, it will also evoke an emotional response, as for an image to really succeed it needs to evoke something - awe, wonder or any one of a thousand different responses."
The photographer is expected to attend the launch of "My Lens on the Landscape" at the gallery in Berkshire St on April 5 at 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Invitation is by request via info@arrowtowngallery.com.
