Canon EOS 1D + Canon 300mm f/4L IS
1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 200
Location: Lake
Pukaki, New Zealand
A large bird is
dwarfed by the vastness of the sky and the mountains.
Aoraki/ Mount Cook is Australasia's tallest mountain at 3754m. Collision between the Pacific and Australia-Indian plates causes Aoraki to grow at a rate of 7mm annually. But mighty as it looks, the mountain is unstable and an avalanche reduced its height by about 20m back in 1991.
At sunset, the mountain ranges glow a crimson-red. Because I chose Daylight white balance, the shadow areas of the photo have taken on a deep blue hue, which further accentuates the warmth in the other areas of the photo. While I did take other photos of this scene, I felt that this one worked the best because of the position of the bird. I hope that its shape is recognizable, even if it's very small in the frame. If the little speck in the sky has caught your attention, then I think the photo has succeeded.