The Withering Dark

I have struggled with depression most of my life. It is particularly prevalent during Standard Time, when my insomnia often prevents me from going on the long hikes that I love to go on during the summer months.

In December 2024, after weeks without hiking or photography, I ventured to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. The light that day was harsh, and the sky barren; however, standing on a boulder in the middle of the frozen lake, I found a composition that I liked. It was noteworthy, because it would be difficult to achieve any other time of year when the lake isn’t frozen over. I climbed off the boulder and walked across the ice, kneeling below that tree until I achieved proper separation between the branches and Flattop Mountain behind it.

I was unhappy with the sky, but I was certain the composition had enough potential that putting it through the magic of ON1 Photo RAW would elevate it.