The iconic Mesa Arch at sunrise is an elusive image that I chased for almost a decade after I took up the camera. I visited this location 8 times over the course of 6 years hoping to capture a one-of-a-kind image solely for personal enjoyment.

This is one of the most difficult scenes to photograph for many reasons, particularly because the image must be captured shooting directly into the sun. After multiple visits at different times of year, I decided that mid-winter would place the sun further to the south, on the right side of the composition giving it perfect balance. February, however, especially at 6120 feet elevation makes for horribly frigid shooting conditions. Add in a little wind, and it is nearly unbearable. Because of the popularity of the location among photographers, I woke up at 4:30 and began the hike out to the arch. Arriving before 5:00, I was the first one on location, allowing me to pick my vantage point, and as I had done time after time before, I waited, hoping for epic conditions at sunrise. After more than 2 hours shivering in the dark, the sky began to lighten, and before long the golden sun crested the eastern horizon setting the arch ablaze revealing the vast beauty of Canyonlands National Park 1,500 feet below.

A new day had dawned, and the much-anticipated warm light of the rising sun brought feeling back into my fingers and light to the world in a way I'd never seen before. A perfect amount of haze lingered on the horizon allowing just enough light through to set the arch on fire while diffusing the direct rays of the sun enough to eliminate the wicked lens flare that plagued many of my previous attempts to capture this scene. God had painted a masterpiece and I am a witness. I clicked the shutter, and the solitary moment of splendor was frozen in time forever. I released this piece in a hyper-exclusive edition to collectors as an opportunity for a few of my patrons to share in my reverence for what I believe to be one of the most beautiful scenes on the planet. The image sold out nearly overnight and is no longer available for purchase. I will never photograph the scene again.