Have you ever stood in front of a breathtaking Californian landscape at sunrise, with nobody else around? I have, and it’s a feeling that stays with you—a moment where nature’s beauty is yours alone. One of those unforgettable moments led to this photograph, “Arise”. It was captured at Mono Lake, a surreal and enchanting spot along Highway 395, just north of Mammoth Lakes.

Mono Lake is a saline soda lake formed in an endorheic basin, with no outlet to the ocean. Over countless years, high levels of salts have built up, creating alkaline waters that host unique limestone formations called tufa towers. These otherworldly structures rise from the surface like ancient sentinels guarding the tranquil expanse.

Arriving in the pre-dawn stillness, I felt a sense of awe as the first rays of sunlight kissed the rugged tufa formations, painting them in shades of gold and amber. Capturing that fleeting moment felt like preserving a piece of magic—a quiet majesty that lives on through this photograph.