Raphael Purnama, Sumatran Sunrise (March theme: Lines, shapes, and patterns)

I took this photo during a road trip around Sumatra. A trip I’d always dreamed of doing. As an Australian-born Indonesian, every visit back to Indonesia feels like discovering parts of myself I had no clue about. This time, I wanted to go further than I've been before and explore the rich culture, history and stories of the island. Banda Aceh was high on my bucket list, mainly because I’d seen photos of the stunning Masjid Raya Baiturrahman and was drawn to both its beauty and its history especially after the boxing day Tsunami back on '04. I visited at sunrise, hoping to catch the early light and golden hour. As I was taking photos of the mosque, the sun began to rise behind me, casting a warm glow over everything. When I turned around, the sky was on fire. Deep orange, golden yellow, like a tiger’s print stretched across the horizon. The colours were so intense and full of passion, it almost didn’t feel real. I took a photo of the sunrise, not because I had planned to, but because I was just in awe of the way it looked, best sunrise i've ever since in my life. It was peaceful, powerful, and somehow perfectly paired with the quiet majesty of the mosque nearby.

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