The biting wind lashed the mountain pass as we trudged toward the Mangheneto refuge, with the last rays of light barely illuminating the trail.

A group of weary hikers huddled for warmth inside the hut and shared a simple meal and a bottle of red wine with us before retiring for the night. The shrill cry of the alarm clock shattered the quiet at 4:30 a.m., signaling the beginning of our photographic adventure. As dawn broke, the sky exploded in a breathtaking display of color, casting a magical glow over the snow-capped peaks of the Lagorai mountain range.

With my Sony a7III – and a G-Master 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens – in hand, I mounted the tripod and composed the shot, carefully considering the mountain range’s guidelines and Maria’s positioning within the frame. To capture the dynamic range of the scene, I used a low ISO of 100 and a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/100th of a second, relying on the camera’s image stabilization to minimize vibrations. When the first rays of sunlight hit the mountain peaks, I adjusted the exposure to balance the bright highlights and darker shadows, creating a stunning image that captured the essence of the moment.