Marty Benavente works as a Senior Field Training Officer and Watercraft Operator for the Australian Antarctic Division. He has spent 10 seasons working in the Antarctic and the subantarctic, including at Casey, Davis, Macquarie Island, numerous resupply voyages, and a summer exchange with the British Antarctic Survey.
Marty says of this photo:
I’m drawn to photographing the moments where you look up from whatever job you’re doing and the view or situation you find yourself in just stops you in your tracks. I hope to capture the essence of what I experienced in that instant. This photo was taken during a field training trip on Macquarie Island with hunting dog Flax (pictured) and his handler. It was a cold, snowy morning towards the end of May, with some great light breaking through the cloud cover. As we ascended Gadgets Gully, Flax moved to this spot and dutifully sat there while I took his photo. It’s a good indication of the tough conditions the dogs worked in and how comfortable they were with the terrain.