alastairjamieson

Beautiful light and clouds, but it is very disturbing to see a familiar landmark (Mt Ngauruhoe in New Zealand's Tongariro National Park*) distorted so far from its natural shape.  Ngauruhoe volcano is steep, but no volcano in nature can be as steep as this has been warped in this image.

To give others an idea of how much this landscape has been altered, here is a view from a similar angle,  showing the true proportions of the mountain.

*Known to some as "Mt Doom" in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

New Zealand sea lions are the rarest sea lion species in the world,

threatened by fishing and disease. I'd be interested in your opinion

on this still image of a few-days-old pup I took recently during a

wildlife documentary film shoot.

Had just a few minutes to grab a few shots when the comet materialised

from behind clearing clouds during a hectic video shoot. The hazy sky

is due to smoke from forest fires in Australia over 2000km away!

I got to this shot from your great photo of a guy in a yellow raincoat in the rain. I think both are great!

I'm from NZ, so have seen enough Milford Sound shots to last a lifetime (As you'll have seen, they're in every tourist brochure here!). This is the first fresh one I've seen in long time. Only shame is that to block out the sun, you had to obscure the summit of Mitre Peak (centre). Good on you for tackling this tricky exposure though!