My friends and I were traveling in Colorado when I witnessed this sweet moment you have in your hand. It was 12:30 PM. Nature was all-powerful, as usual, to protect its subjects from the heat, hard light, and sunburns. The dark clouds cast over the trees, blocking the belligerent lighting from the sun, allowing a sliver of those rays at an acute angle has created this masterpiece.

I created the image by blending a series of photos taken at different exposure levels. This technique has allowed me to retrieve all the details of fallen pine trees in shadowy areas and recover bumps in the grasslands in brighter areas.

Unexpected moments like this throw me into quiet contemplation, and makes me wonder, how many of these beauties have I missed? How many more will I experience?