A dramatic sunrise creates light bands across the Teton range while clouds obscure the setting of a waning gibbous.

I became fixated on shooting sunrise at the Snake River Overlook with the river bottom cottonwoods in peak Fall colors kaleidoscopically set against the evergreens, but this photo is literally four years in the making.

1st year:  Every. Single. Morning was fog covered.  The Tetons were completely obscured by a thick layer of mist for about three days straight, which tauntingly cleared one hour post-sunrise.  No photo.

2nd year:  I spent several October nights in the Park but Fall colors were very late this year and most of the river bottom trees were still green.  I’m a perfectionist when it comes to iconic shots so I drove back to Salt Lake City for a week of work while waiting for the trees to ripen.  During that time, Jackson was hit by days of wind and rain which basically blew all the leaves off.  I returned the following Monday to a near barren landscape, spent a night, and frustratingly drove home the very next day. No photo.

3rd year: This was a weird year for Fall colors.  Winter, Spring, and Summer had been so dry that the leaves turned from green to a brittle brown before falling off.  Instead of the vibrant yellows the trees just seemed to… die?  No photo.

4th year:  I was a little bit early for peak colors but due to cold nights the trees were changing quickly.  I already had two sunrises negated by rain the past two days but this morning was encouraged by cloudless patches in the Eastern Sky.  When the sun broke the horizon it cast a strong band of pink light against the Tetons.  My heart raced and in those few seconds I fired off several shots before the light again dimmed as the sun was once again obscured.  The cottonwoods were not quite at peak, and the peak of the Grand Teton was still obscured by clouds, but this photo is a lesson in perseverance and I cared not for anything else.