The Cover Shot - Wild #197

The snowdrifts on the upper glaciers were enormous that season, allowing an opportunity for easier access and a unique shot. Justin and I were scouting ice conditions on NZ’s Douglas Glacier on our first day at Pioneer Hut. We’d just stopped for lunch at the base of Mt Alack, and I took the opportunity between bites to frame the shot as Justin gazed off into the distance. I usually prefer to shoot photos on the move; I pull the camera out, take a few quick shots then get back to the task at hand; this occasion was an exception.

After lunch, we started climbing the southern side of Alack, realising shortly after that the attractive white blanket was actually fragile, warming rime ice. It didn’t hold ice screws or tool placements, and we bailed in search of something more promising.

My goal in photography is to capture the moment organically, with as little external influence as possible. I hate staging and unnatural posing. This approach has produced mixed results—I often miss better compositions, expose the shot incorrectly, and/or capture the shot a moment too late. Fortunately, everything came together for that moment.

You can see more of Michael’s imagery, and read about this trip and what its near miss meant in the aftermath, in the accompanying feature story ‘The Flight of Icarus’ starting on p94.

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