Under Open Skies · Optical Memories by Drifton Dalton

Small boat resting on Lake McDonald beneath mountains in warm sunset light

Still Water at Day's End Lake McDonald · Glacier National Park, Montana Evening settles over Lake McDonald as warm light traces the mountains and a solitary boat rests on the still water.

Multiple lightning bolts striking behind Devils Tower beneath dark storm clouds

Storm Beyond the Tower Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming Storm clouds gathering west of the park boundary erupt into a sudden display of lightning behind Devils Tower.

Low morning fog catching strong sunbeams above trees near Moran, Wyoming

Morning Through the Mist Near Moran · Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Low fog catches the rising sun on a cool summer morning, turning an ordinary roadside forest into a fleeting display of light.

Historic Mormon Row barn and weathered fencing beneath the Teton Range

Stillness Beneath the Tetons Mormon Row · Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming A historic barn, open grassland, and the immense Teton skyline hold a moment of quiet strength in the evening light.

Milky Way arching above silhouetted trees and a distant Appalachian horizon

Under the Milky Way Burke's Garden, Virginia The Milky Way stretches above the dark ridgelines and open night sky of Burke's Garden.

Mount Moran rising above fog and calm water at Oxbow Bend

Mountain Stillness Oxbow Bend · Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming On a cool summer morning, fog moved gently across Oxbow Bend as the rising sun began to bring a magenta glow to Mount Moran.

Sunset spreading across layered Sierra Nevada ridges near Sequoia National Park

Last Light on the Ridge Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California A late-summer departure from Sequoia and Kings Canyon opened onto a vivid first California sunset.

Sierra Nevada mountain valley near Sequoia National Park framed by stone, grasses, and purple wildflowers

Wildflowers and Stone Kings Canyon National Park, California On a warm summer evening, the descending road enters the heart of Kings Canyon as sunlight reaches across the western slopes.