In 2003, Alan & Irene toured the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The landscape is striking and the collection of huge astronomy telescopes is awe-inspiring. The rugged, barren landscape was actually used to test some of the Apollo-era moon rovers. It also seems odd to have patches of snow and 28°F temperatures in Hawaii! After touring one of the observatories, Irene was catching her breath -- it's quite an adjustment to be climbing stairs at over 13,900ft elevation, when you're used to sea-level relaxation.

But Alan took a short hike to a nearby peak to get some photographs of a native Hawaiian shrine. The peak turned out to be a ridge that extended a couple of hundred yards. On one side of the ridge was a valley filled with fog. While standing on this ridge, the sun broke out from behind some clouds behind Alan and cast his shadow into the fog-filled valley. An awesome sight ensued: a full-circle rainbow surrounding Alan's shadow with no other points of reference.

It was beautiful, eerie and magnetic all at once. Capturing this image was one of the defining moments in leading Alan to pursue more and more unique photographic experiences -- and to share those images with others. He hopes that his feeling of wonder can be expressed through his pictures.