18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
The Emotions of Antarctica

I was camping along the coast of Antarctica on a recent expedition. A full moon had risen the night before over the mountains so I wanted to set up my tripod and 600mm lens to photograph the landscape with this full moon. The moon rose once again over the mountains and sea. I was really hoping to just compose a beautiful scene with the rising moon. What I happed to capture was something I could not have expected. A humpback whale was breaching in the foreground. I could not believe my eyes.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2020
Date Uploaded: 07.2020
Photo Location: Antarctica
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Derek Nielsen