Antarctic Storm Light
Antarctic Peninsula, Le Mar Channel, Antarctica
Athlete: Doug Stoup
Camera: Nikon D700
What makes it special: It reflects on how unpredictably beautiful this planet is.
The story: "On our fourth day in Antarctica, I switched crews and teamed up with Doug Stoup and a tight circle of friends. Unlike the previous days with the Warren Miller crew, we were the last group off the ship. The timing was perfect. The weather had shifted and the light went wild as we climbed up onto the shoulder of the glacier. From high above, I looked out over the frozen sea trying to spot the seals we had seen on the Zodiac ride in. The stormy clouds broke into rays of golden light, which danced across the blue jagged ice. The conditions were cold and hard, not ideal for skiing. There were gaping holes everywhere, but the dramatic scene called to me.
The light was off the hook. My light meter challenged everything I had learned over decades of shooting. Sure, I was on a glacier in storm light, at the bottom of the world, shooting directly into the sun with reflective ice everywhere, but the exposure was impossible: 1/1000 sec at f22, really?
Doug's descent along the ridgeline was perfect. He even found a few soft spots to make the snow look good. What could be better? As we skied down onto to the sea ice we maneuvered by the gracious seals, lazily sunning themselves in the cold arctic light."
