The Summit

Mount Feathertop, Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

From an early age I've been drawn to the summit of Feathertop, with some of my earliest bushwalks as a child walking up Mt Feathertop. On this occasion I was camped out on Mt Feathertop for five days in early winter and was keen to capture a photograph of the summit from up close. The weather however had other ideas with persistent snow and low cloud, precluding even seeing the summit for the first few days. As the sun set on my final day I was set up in position sure that the weather was finally improving. Briefly the cloud lifted in front of the summit with cloud remaining on the other side creating a dramatic backdrop. It didn't take too long again for the cloud to return. As I returned to my tent for the night I felt happy to have captured what was a brief moment in the ever changing conditions over the summit of Mt Feathertop.

Mount Feathertop is the second-highest mountain in the Australian state of Victoria, rising to 1,922 metres (6,306 ft). It is usually covered in snow from June to September. Unlike most other Victorian mountains, Mount Feathertop has steep summit slopes instead of a rounded summit dome. It's this aspect that makes it great to photograph in winter, as it's the only real Australian alpine 'peak' that gets covered in snow. Snow remaining in the summit gullies in spring gives the appearance of feathers - hence the name "Feathertop".

AWARDS

2013 | Silver award - ACT/NSW Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Professional Photography Awards

2013 | Bronze award - Epson International Pano Awards