23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Red Spirit Rising

In this work, the forest becomes a living altar. The roots breathe, the branches tremble, and a surge of crimson energy rises from within the earth itself. The red spirit is not a creature - it is a force: the memory of fire, the pulse of ancient soil, the raw emotion that nature hides beneath its quiet surface. This photograph captures the moment when that hidden power breaks through. It rises like a whisper becoming a roar - fragile, chaotic, and alive. A reminder that beneath every forest floor, beneath every calm exterior, there is a spirit waiting to awaken.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2025
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: Cham, Switzerland
Camera: NIKON Z 6
Copyright: © Yurii Hurych