Molten Reflections

I was out exploring Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra, chasing the magic of sunset. The air was still, but something was brewing—the lake’s surface began to shift, and a wall of high clouds started to roll in from the distance. They looked ominous, powerful, like a storm was preparing to make an entrance.

At first, I was focused on another composition, shooting away from the setting sun, captivated by the subtle tones unfolding on the opposite horizon. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the landscape around me start to glow. I turned around—and what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

The sky had exploded into flames.

A cascade of golden light lit up the towering salt tufas like a scene from another world. It was as if the heavens had ignited, pouring molten fire across the sky and painting the lake in molten reflections. The light was electric, intense, and unbelievably fleeting.

I scrambled to recompose, heart racing, knowing this moment wouldn’t last. The wind picked up, the clouds closed in, and just as quickly as it had arrived, the fiery spectacle began to fade.

But I managed to capture this shot—the otherworldly silhouettes of the salt tufas standing tall against that brief, brilliant blaze of sunset fire.