The Patriarch's Gaze
Zion National Park
I was standing in the Court of the Patriarchs that morning, and the sky was just doing these incredible things. Most people focus on the main three, but my eye kept getting pulled toward Jacob Peak. There was a crispness to the air, that quiet you only get in the desert before the day really starts. The first light was just catching the high edges of the sandstone, making it stand out. The clouds were swirling with so much texture, almost like smoke. I knew right away this had to be a monochrome shot; color would have just been a distraction. I wanted to show the raw contrast between the solid, ancient rock and the fleeting movement of the sky.