Leon Berard was working at his job as a fisheries observer on the Chatham Rise, an area of ocean east of Christchurch, on a ''ridiculously calm'' day.
''It had been a fairly quiet day,' Mr Berard, who also works for the University of Otago's zoology department, said.
''I didn't have anything to do, it was about 5pm, and the sun was coming down.''
It was then he saw a Buller's albatross banking steeply above the water, and clicked the shutter on a shot that this week won him the people's choice award in the Otago Wildlife Photography Competition.
The 15th annual competition exhibition opened at the museum in May, with winners announced at that time.
The amateur photographer said it was a while after he took the shot before he looked at his photographs and realised what he had.
He said he took photos ''so other people can look at the photos and enjoy them. You can't get much better recognition than that.''
The exhibition closes tomorrow.
