Lake Federa sits at 2046m above sea level in the Dolomite region of Cortina D'Ampezzo. The mountain jewel is crowned in gold each autumn by the surrounding larch trees- a spectacle which draws photographers from all over the world.

The classic shot of this scene is taken by the shoreline of the lake. Some people are up at 5am, hours before the dawn this time of year, to secure the best photo spot. By 7am, a row of photographers huddle over tripods and blow on hot flasks of tea.

Deprived of sleep and still without coffee, I was in no mood to negotiate for a patch of grass by the shore. Instead, I made my way up the short but steep ascent of a nearby mountainside I'd scouted the night before. My position was somewhat precarious, if I straightened and stood up fully, I'd slip over the loose crumbling rocks and I'd go tumbling down. Scuffling on all fours, I made my way to the base of the highest larch tree I could reach, in hopes of finding a unique composition.

I waited, holding my breath and the trunk of the tree as the sun rose over the eastern mountains. In the shade, the larch trees appear a dull amber color. But when day breaks and the first rays of light kiss the landscape, the larch needles are set ablaze in dazzling shades of gold. I gasped when it happened. Applause erupted from the photographers below. It's truly a spectacle of nature like nothing I'd ever seen before, as though the sun had lit a thousand candles which danced on the surface of the lake below. The light reached the branches of the tree above my head, framing my entire image in gold. Jackpot.

I hope that you, dear collector, value this piece as much as I do. A photo like this simply does not exist anywhere else. Despite the relative popularity of this place, especially among photographers, I've never found another shot from this vantage point. Then again, I did have to have to spend a morning crawling up a mountainside to take it.

That entire trip was full of "firsts" and small victories. In instances when I had pushed a limit or overcome a new challenge, there was a particular quote that would repeat over and over again in my mind. In the moment captured in this photograph, beholding the beauty of the scene below, my heart full of awe, I thought of my mantra once again: "Fortune favours the bold".

Thank you for being bold enough to take a chance on me and the start of my web3 journey. I hope that you love this piece and I appreciate your support more than you can imagine.

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