It was an unusually warm early February day in Central Oregon. So I decided to climb to the top of "Misery Ridge" - a 1,000-foot escarpment created by the volcanic caldera that formed what is now called Smith Rock.

My objective was to capture a sunset photo overlooking Phoenix Buttress in the foreground with the Cascades mountain range in the background. I experimented with a few locations before setting my tripod on the edge of the ridge with the river almost directly below my feet.

I decided to shoot a panorama rather than a single wide frame to have the scale I desired for the mountains in the background. An unexpected challenge was that a few farmers in the valley before me had chosen to burn their fields (a standard process to remove stubble before planting) on this warm day. As a result, considerable smoke was hanging in the valley and slowly making its way around and into the foreground of my shot.

While not what I had anticipated or imagined, I waited, hoping the fires (and resulting smoke) would diminish by sunset and that my shot would not be negatively impacted. Fortunately, that was pretty much the case, with just a hint of smoke adding some visual interest to the edge of the frame.

As the sun set, I doubled and tripled check my settings and focus and fired off three sets of 4 images each. Satisfied that I had captured what I needed, I sat back and just enjoyed the view, grateful to have a passion for a hobby that once again took me to a place I would have likely not been at a time I would have otherwise not been there, to see something I would never have seen.