I made this image yesterday at sunrise and it was looking like it was going to be a total bust. I only had a little bit of time and wasn’t seeing anything I liked with California Live Oak and wildflowers when I started playing with this rock with lichen growing on it. Initially I was shooting with the sun but on a whim I decided to shoot into the sun, not expecting much but in the end it turned out to be an interesting photo. What drew me to the scene as in that in the first few minutes the sun first rises above the hills it bathes only portion of the landscape in warm light making for an interesting layering of light and color.