The Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierra of California are my favourite photography location, and they are home to hundreds of natural arches.

Mobius Arch (shown here) is probably the most well-known for several reasons, including the ability to frame Mount Whitney or Lone Pine Peak to the south through the arch.

On a previous visit, I photographed the Milky Way and knew I wanted to return for sunrise on my next trip.
In November 2021, I had my chance! By the time I arrived at the parking lot for the trail, the sky was already showing some color to the east. I gathered my camera gear and waited impatiently as my husband got his things and our dog out of the car. I ended up speed-walking ahead of them.

At this location, there is room for only three people to have a good view through the arch. One photographer was there already, with Mount Whitney framed through the arch in his composition. I was perfectly happy with the spot a few feet away that allowed me to frame Lone Pine Peak.

As the color in the sky deepened to the east, I began to photograph. But most of the beautiful color was out of frame, so I briefly left my camera on its tripod (under my husband’s watchful eye) and dashed away with my second camera and tripod to capture an image with the vivid color to the east.

Three minutes later, I climbed back up to my primary camera and captured this image while the sky cast a rosy glow on the arch and the distant mountains.

This is a two-frame image focus stack and exposure blend.

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