Mountain Aerie
The Sierra Nevada of California are, in my opinion, the most visually compelling mountains in the Continental US. These endless layers of jagged peaks are renowned among photographers for their bright, reflective granite, lending the Sierra its nickname: "The Range of Light".
On this morning in late November, I was camped in the desert valley below the Eastern Sierra, with some of its most dramatic peaks looming 10,000-plus feet above me. The range faces straight east, so it is best photographed around wintertime, when the morning sun is further south to lend the peaks more dimensional side light.
12,949-foot Lone Pine Peak, featured in this image, is often overshadowed by its taller and more famous neighbor, Mount Whitney. But the first snowstorm of the year had come overnight, and it was clearing just as the sun crested the horizon. The swirling clouds obscured the nearby peaks, giving the freshly snow-covered ridges of Lone Pine their chance to steal the show. And so they did.
