“King Of The South” By William Patino

This photo was captured in one of my favorite locations in the world, the Hooker Valley in the Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand. Like most mountains, Mt. Cook/Aoraki tends to hide behind clouds, and on this occasion, we arrived during a snowstorm. Knowing how fast the conditions can change in the mountains, I still had hopes of seeing the face of New Zealand’s highest peak. Sure enough, two hours from sunset the clouds began to thin, so my friend and I quickly began the 10km return hike to this lake. This mountain is monstrous, but it can be hard to translate through the camera. It was getting dark by this stage, but it’s always fun to use a human element to give scale. My friend Jason was happy to oblige and hold still on an icy rock for this 4-second exposure.

Equipment & Settings – Canon 5DSR, Canon 24-70mm f2.8II, 4s, ISO200, f8

Visit William Patino’s website to see more of his work: www.williampatino.com and follow him on Instagram: @william_patino.