The Beacon

Swiftcurrent Lake reflects Grinnell Point in the rarely calm waters as the first rays of the day strike the peak. I was amazed that the surrounding clouds never lit up with color, as I had hoped. In hind site, I really liked how the mountain was separated from the background as if lit by a spotlight. The light quickly faded and everything began to look grey and dull. A German photographer and I were the only 2 at the lake, and rejoiced in the unusual lighting together in our respective languages. Somehow, we knew what each other were saying!

This image received the 2011 Highly Honored Award from Nature's Best International Competition. This competition required that the image be a single capture - no exposure blending, HDR, or focal blends. I used a 2 stop grad ND filter with movement to balance the bright red peak and sky with the shadow areas.