Michael Tropiano, Summer Rain (PEOPLE 2023)

We live in a desert, rain is rare and freshwater bodies non-existent. Waterfalls are something only in dreams. But sometimes when a summer storm pushes inland, magic can happen. On this day, in the midst of a storm we scrambled down a gorge to find this amazing moment. It flowed for less than an hour, and then never again. This photo is of my friend, standing there in the otherwise red dusty gorge, in a moment of pure bliss.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.