Volcanic Autumn

Fog swirls around the foothills on a dark autumn morning, as 14,411-foot Mount Rainier rises high above and catches the first light of day.

Rainier captivated me since I first arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Most photographs of it are taken on the shoulder of the mountain itself, among its sprawling wildflower meadows. While those are beautiful scenes, they do the mountain a disservice, making it look rather flat. Rainier is massive and it dominates the surrounding landscape—you can even see it from Oregon on a clear day!

I wanted to make a photograph that properly conveyed its majesty. One October morning in 2015, I found this spot high above an alpine lake, where the mountain was reflected and framed symmetrically by the trees. I was drawn to the colors of the autumn tundra, but the low fog and dramatic light are what made that morning special.

This composition has been copied by many in the years since, perhaps to the point of now being considered an icon. Here is the original.