December 2nd, 2017 | Updated on April 6th, 2024
Canadian photographer David Noton took this picture in Monti Sibillini National Park, Umbria, Italy, and said: ‘This is a scene I have photographed maybe 20 times or more, but every single time was different. Being there as dawn breaks, watching the light paint the landscape, was a special experience – it always is – and the shot that worked best that particular morning came particularly early, as the mist swirled and the lights of Preci clinging precariously to the slopes of the Valnerina still glowed. As usual I chose to shoot the image with daylight white balance set, capturing the cool blue light of pre-dawn without any alteration either in-camera or during postproduction. I hardly ever adjust the colour balance of Mother Nature’s benevolence. This is now an image given extra significance as the scene will never be the same again, due to the devastating earthquakes that shook the region in 2016. Preci is now in ruins’
