melanie whitten, Glitch in the Matrix (LANDSCAPE & ENVIRONMENT 2025)

This unfolded right before my eyes, and I had no idea what it was. I was in awe—completely flabbergasted! What was I seeing? It felt like a ‘Glitch in the Matrix.” I was frustrated that I didn’t have my “real camera” with me (since I’m a photographer), so I quickly grabbed my phone to capture a sky unlike anything I had seen in my 53 years—and likely won’t ever see again. But what exactly was it? I knew it had to be nature at its finest, and I felt incredibly fortunate to witness it. The spectacle lasted only about a minute, so afterward I turned to Google—and here is what I discovered. Source: google- A split sunset is a phenomenon where clouds on the horizon block the sun's light, casting a shadow on other clouds and creating a distinct line that divides the sky into a normal, colorful half and a darker, gray half. This rare sight requires a specific alignment of sun, clouds, and atmosphere for the sun's rays to be obstructed at a particular angle, resulting in a dramatic, half-and-half appearance in the sky. So, it was a rare occurrence —and I was lucky to capture it, especially since I noticed there were not many other examples of it on Google Images.”.

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