CraigBILL

Driving through Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I watched the first Fall snowstorm breaking apart... And, as a photographer, I knew that sometimes bad, changing or shifting weather can be the ingredient or magic that can put a normal photograph to shame. Although I was extremely tired from the multi-state drive, I decided to push on and see if the retreating snow clouds would give me a photographic opportunity - but it was not looking too good. It was starting to get dark and the clouds were still too thick. It was still even snowing! By the time I found this spot close to the highway, sunset light broke through, igniting the underside of the breaking mountain peak clouds! I set up in a flash - but it was very cold and very windy. I really wanted a little longer exposure to show the fast moving atmosphere crashing over the Grand Tetons. Shifting light and a shaking camera were killing my fleeting opportunity! I composed the various shots, started the shutter, and flew open my jacket like a sail to block as much wind as possible from the tripod and camera - exposing my T-shirted self over and over again to negative wind-chill temperatures. "Click" - "Yikes, that's an awful shot" - adjust, adjust. "Click" - blown-out... sunset over. I finally gave up as I could not feel my fingers anymore pressing the remote release shutter and hoped that it was not all in vain. "Event Horizon" was the photograph that almost was... not.