Fiamma di Bellezza
Category: 04 Award Winners
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is such an epic place—one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. My challenge was set. I had to capture this intense beauty on film. I set the alarm at 4 a.m. and hiked from my tent under moonlight. It was a moment I’ll never forget as I crept towards the edge of the 3,000‑foot sheer vertical cliffs to set up my tripod. I watched the dawn slowly change colors and reveal one of the most epic scenes right there in front of me. The crisp morning air brushed past my shoulder and the sound of the Colorado River echoing in the canyon will remain with me forever. My challenge was to capture the whole mood and feeling of this moment with depth, grandeur and scale. As the sun cracked the horizon, I only had a few valuable seconds to press the shutter. Composition was so critical as I wanted the lines of the rocks in the foreground to bring the viewer into the scene. The light blasted the incredible canyon walls. I knew this was it. My whole body felt infused with an incredible rush of Mother Nature at her best. I live for rare moments like this. That’s why I’m doing this stuff forever.
