As soon as I saw Palette Spring at a distance, its brown limestone terraces caught in this powerful ray of afternoon light, I instinctively knew that I had one my most promising photographic subjects of our visit to Yellowstone. I also knew that I had to shoot from this far away vantage point in order to make the most of the angle of the light. If I moved closer, the effect of the light would vanish. Yet I was a long way from the scene, too long for my 12x, 420mm zoom. Fortunately, my Panasonic FZ-50 camera is able to optically extend my zoom range without picture quality deterioration. To do this, I simply cut the size of my image in half – from ten megapixels to five megapixels, and zoomed my lens out as far as it would go. With my resolution reduced to five megapixels, I now had a 17x zoom lens in my hands – making an image equivalent to almost 600mm. It brings me close enough to take full advantage of the angle of light, yet also lets me show key detail right through the steam rising from the cascade of hot water pouring over Palette Spring’s terraces. This image is all about the nature of light, the translucent steam, the diagonal flow of stone and sun, and the coloration of the terraces. It speaks of heat, moisture, and time -- all part of the magic of nature.