If you love the creativity of photo shown below wait until you read the story behind "Matterhorn" by South African photographer Daniel_Grebe.

I was in the water surfing at the time. The tide was super high, and a little wedge was forming in the corner of the beach break. I saw the dark cold front approaching and instinctively knew that something spectacular was about to unfold with the sun in the position it was in. I got out the water and ran home to get my gear. I sat waist deep in the water, camera gear wrapped in a towel, and as the dark blanket of cloud began to cover the sun everything lined up perfectly! It was a group of elements which came together at the perfect time. When I got home and looked through the images, a few of them stood out to me as they seemed to have a striking resemblance to mountains. One being Everest and this one being Matterhorn.

This image was taken at my local beach (Longbeach), down the road from my house in Kommetjie. I'm based in Cape Town, South Africa. I shot this image a little while before sunset, and just before a huge cold front engulfed the sky and blocked the sun.

Anything worth sharing about lighting?

The dark storm approaching from the horizon made for a beautiful dark backdrop, while the natural light from what was left of the sun peered over the dark blanket of cloud, lighting up the wave and water droplets perfectly against the ominous backdrop, before it disappeared and the cold front took over.

What equipment did you use?

I used my Canon 5D Mark II body, a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM II lens and a beach towel to protect my gear from any moisture or water droplets.

Did you do any post-processing?

I used the Curves and Levels adjustment in Lightroom to create contrast and emphasize the dramatic lighting and dark backdrop. I also did some minor color correction and cropping.

What equipment do you normally have in your bag?

I take all my gear with me where ever I go. You never know when an opportunity may arise, and you need particular gear in order to capture that moment as you see it unfold in your head. I carry my Canon 5D Mark II body with me (Its my only digital body), a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 USM L lens, Canon EF 28-70mm f2.8 USM L lens, Canon EF 50mm f1.8, Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM lens, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 II IS USM L lens, a pack of Cokin P Gradfilters, Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod with 804RC2 pan tilt head.

Any advice for others trying to capture something similar?

I think the main factor which helped me capture this image was being aware of the opportunity in front of me and analyzing the light, everything felt as if it had the potential to line up and create something spectacularly beautiful. The one thing which often helps photographers capture that one amazing 'in the moment' image is being consciously aware of the light around you as well as your surroundings/subject, and being curious and able to react accordingly. I wasn't in the water looking for a photo opportunity, or expecting something like this to happen. I was in the water to surf. When I became conscious of what was about to unfold I reacted as quick as I could. That is about the best advice I could give to someone who is working with uncontrollable nature to capture an amazing image. I'm not saying this is a perfect or amazing image, its far from that. But it has educated me and prepared me a little more for similar situations which could unfold in the future.