The pierced rock
- 📍 Location: La Roche Percée, Montfort (Vitrac), Dordogne, France
- 📅 Date: November, 2025
A limestone arch known as La Roche Percée rises above the Dordogne at Montfort, a small hamlet of Vitrac, catching the first light of sunrise while a lone tree clings to the cliff edge beside it. Below, the river carries that same light in a faint magenta shimmer as the night’s mist begins to lift off the water.
I climbed up before dawn to be in position while the valley was still mostly asleep, and that calm, half-lit hour is really as much the subject of this photograph as the rock itself: a quiet negotiation between stone, water, and first light.
Awards & Recognition
- European Photography Awards, 2026: 🏆 Gold Winner, Golden Hour
- 1839 Awards, 2026: Nominee, Landscapes (general gallery link, see note above)
- Fine Art Photography Awards, 2025: Nominee, Landscape
- Annual Photography Awards, 2025: Honorable Mention, Nature/Landscapes
