This is a long read.... so for those with a short attention span or who just don't care enough to read it, the synopsis is, I'm humble, talented and have an aversion to bridges.

As a landscape photographer on facebook I typically get friended by other landscape photographers...consequently my feed is usually filled with a lot of photography.....the standard of which ranges from "Damn I hate you for getting this shot, I'll never be this good..... what's the point, I'm gonna throw my camera off the nearest bridge.", all the way through to "I delete way better shots than this every day, but I never get this many likes! What's the point.... I'm gonna throw my camera off the nearest bridge." A couple of years therapy and nine cameras later, I no longer look at facebook when I'm near a bridge.

But the thing I notice most about Facebook photographers is how serious they seem to take themselves and their images. Epic tales of hardship and danger in the quest to capture something magical and update their facebook status..... and of course, name it something trying to sound poetic.....but I digress.... let me tell you about this work of art.

I envisioned this shot seven years ago when I stumbled across this secret location after three days of summer snowshoeing in Yosemite. I watched transfixed by the light dancing across El Capitan as I'd never seen before, its sublime reflection in the crystalline waters caressing my blistered feet, mysteriously healing them before my eyes. I cursed my selflessness for giving my camera gear to a poor orphan child I'd met earlier that week, but in my heart I knew I would always have to bear this cross of excessive generosity. Would I ever again have the opportunity to capture the magic of this scene playing out in front of me? In that moment I vowed that I would do whatever it takes to return and record this epitome of resplendence to share with the world.

Seven years later after hundreds of hours of dedicated research pinpointing the exact moment of optimal planetary alignment for transcendental light, I knew I was ready. Years of honing my already considerable skills had me confident in my ability to capture the divine, however fleeting the opportunity it may be. As I hiked back to the location known only to me, I could feel my anticipation rising. The landscape was already beginning to glow with a radiance I'd never before witnessed and a supernatural state of peace swept over me. As I walked up the Merced river, I could feel the gentle spray kissing my skin like the tears of an angel, emotion welled up from knowing the universe was speaking to me, trusting me with this sacred task..... what an honor to have my talent recognized in this way.

I arrived at the location just as the sun was starting to envelop the earth with its heavenly glow. I calmly set up my camera, trusting myself to secure the composition perfectly first time. I'd rehearsed this moment in my mind so many times, I could have done it blindfolded....... so that's what I did! That's right, I blindfolded myself and used my intuition to craft the perfect composition and release the exposure at the peak of the light. I heard the universe questioning me, but I told her in my mind, "It's ok, I've got this!"

I believe the resulting image clearly shows her trust was rewarded. My humility will not allow me to take any credit for this work of art, all I did was capture nature's creation.... all credit belongs to her.

The Divine Comedy