I was awed by this photo for a couple reasons. 1) It's a shot of the Old Faithful Geyser taken in landscape mode (instead of the tall portrait mode), and 2) the incredible side-light hitting the tower of water with the dark clouds providing a purple contrast in the background. Stunning. I've communicated with Lynn, the photographer, and here is what she had to add about the shot.

The photo was taken July 21, 2005 during a family vacation at Yellowstone National Park. The time was 8:05pm.

It seemed like there was a storm brewing every time we went to see Old Faithful, and this time was no exception. Not long after the eruption finished, we were racing for cover as the skies opened up upon us.

Since you mentioned the landscape orientation, I'll tell you it was a conscious choice. I wanted to try a different view -- get something that wasn't run-of-the-mill. Just to be safe, I made sure to take a dozen shots of this eruption in the traditional portrait orientation. However, this shot turned out to be one of my favorites of Old Faithful, mainly because I dared to try something a little different and it actually worked!

Extra data recorded by the camera:
Exposure: 1/500 s at f/14
ISO Rating: 800
Focal length: 53mm
Max Aperture Value: f/5.6
Make/Model source: Canon EOS Digital Rebel