This image was captured while hiking deep in the backcountry of the Eastern Sierra during peak fall color. Just after sunrise, the landscape was momentarily divided by light — a meadow in shadow, a glowing stand of aspen, and a granite mountain bathed in gold beneath breaking clouds. Shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 film with a Mamiya 645 medium format camera, this black-and-white photograph showcases the dramatic contrasts that define the high Sierra — in both light and spirit.