/ 2026 / Nature / Sunrise / Sunset
Firefall Beneath the Storm
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PrizeHonorable Mention
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PhotographerAndy Fung, United States
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Date of Photograph10/18/2024
A shaft of sunset light strikes the cliff face of Half Dome, turning the granite into a stream of fire beneath a ceiling of turbulent clouds. Mist wraps around the summit while the surrounding valley falls into cooler shadow, creating a dramatic contrast between stone, weather, and light. The image captures Yosemite at a fleeting moment when the mountain appears both solid and elemental, as if the landscape itself were briefly burning.