ECHOES Of SILENCE- Canyonlands, Utah by: Peter Lik

If you're searching for a perfect landscape picture, it just doesn't get much better than this incredible Peter Lik classic!
The artist describes how he came to capture this stunning picture below.

To me this shot says it all–it truly captures the ‘Spirit of America’. I visited the location many times in order to observe the light and get a feel for a composition because I knew this would be an important, defining image and I wanted to get it absolutely right. Arriving early on a freezing winter morning I had plenty of time to set up and wait for dawn to present. As I sat on the edge of this awesome abyss, I was blown away by the sheer vastness of the canyon that stretched before me. I composed using the arch as a perfect natural frame, and as the first tentative rays of sun appeared, the scene basked in a warm hazy glow. I waited for my moment when the sun slipped behind the shelter of the arch to minimize the risk of lens flare, then captured this incredibly powerful portrait of the Canyonlands.