The low angle of the morning sun and a 24mm vertical wideangle perspective brings out the rich texture of sage coating the rolling hills of the Eastern Sierra desert. To make this landscape photograph work, I used my spot meter to expose on the brightest spot in the picture – the distant snowcapped mountain peak. I locked in that exposure, allowing me to make the rest of the image much darker to bring out the wealth of detail in the field of sage that sweeps us out to a stand of brilliantly colored trees, the stunning focal point of this image. The wideangle lens also offers tremendous depth of field – everything from the grasses at my feet to the distant Sierra Nevada Mountains is in sharp focus. This image is all about space and the vitality of nature, made possible by the warmth and angle of the morning autumn light.