First Light Over the Valley

I left my campsite before sunrise, heading out with the intention of photographing the Salmon River near Stanley, Idaho—where I often frame the water against the mountains behind it. But as the first light began to spill across the valley, this scene caught my eye instead. Morning fog drifted low over the grasses, the creek curved gently through the land, and the colors of dawn revealed a quiet moment that felt untouched. I stopped, set up, and began shooting as the day slowly woke up around me.