A chance encounter with a palette of colour overlooking Lake Pukaki. We stopped here for a long-distance view of New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook, but it was this scene to our left which immediately caught my eye. Vibrant autumn foliage, the amazing aqua blue of the glacial lake, the snow-capped Ben Ohau range on the opposite shore, and and thin line layer of low hanging cloud reflecting the colour of the water.

My telephoto lens enabled compression of the landscape features and accentuated the layers running across the frame. I have deliberately pushed the vibrance of all the colours to maximise contrast. For me, this is one of those compositions where all of its elements are essential to the impact it makes. Take any one of the layers and colours away, and it would be much diminished in its visual appeal.