I was photographing a range of Siberian volcanoes from the deck of a cruise ship at dusk. A seagull drifted alongside the ship, and when it entered my frame, I was able to capture it floating over the distant mountains. As much as this picture is about the moment, is also about light. A intense golden haze envelopes the horizon and the entire sky becomes luminous, filled with a variety of colors generated by the glowing evening light. I exposed for the sky, allowing the gull, sea, and mountains to become abstractions in shadow. This area of the Bering Sea is known as the "Ring of Fire". And so is my photograph.