Capturing the beauty of a place when travelling can be difficult and the reason is twofold; firstly, there are the usual physical considerations but secondly, our perception of a place often becomes influenced by a myriad of factors and experiences. However, as a photographer my focus is always on trying to capture the essence of any particular landscape. Milford Sound's wild beauty towered so high (literally and figuratively) that it was impossible to capture it whilst on a cruise (Note: Just to show scale, the red arrow in picture 12 points at one of the boats). So I chose to capture the vibe of the  place in an effort to show how it made me feel.

I often lament that its not bright sunshine that puts a smile on my face but the moody clouds and overcast weather that tugs at my heartstrings. Although not particularly a fan of rain, I do adore watching grey clouds as rain and storm brews. On our boat tour through Milford Sound, it was exactly such weather, with thick mist reducing visibility but still creating a moment that will be hard to forget. We did the cruise through Mitre Peak and booked it during our stay in Queenstown. Mitre peak is one of the smallest boats available and as such can take you much closer to the seals and waterfalls. The high point was when the cruise took us right under the waterfall for what was pitched to us as a glacial facial". I remember feeling a euphoric mix of excitement and breathlessness as the icy waters left us cold and drenched and yet eager to keep going.

The drive to Milford Sound is also an experience of its own and the windy paths that greeted  us, came to life with the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit soundtrack we had going quite loudly. Something cheery to counter this mystical landscape were the fields we found unguarded (nothing rains on your parade like fences), allowing us to recreate the iconic scenes from DDLJ which made up the magic of every brown girl's childhood.