Tag Archives: basin

Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains

Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains
. “Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains” — Mono Lake tufa towers silhouetted against distant desert mountains in morning light.

I arrived here well before sunrise, thinking that clouds overhead and clear sky on the eastern horizon might produce a colorful sunrise. It did! So I made monochrome photographs! OK, I do have some color photographs of the early morning color, too, but I really did come back with as many monochrome photographs as color photos. Maybe MONO Lake calls for MONOchrome images?

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Tufa, Stormy Sky

Tufa, Stormy Sky
“Tufa, Stormy Sky” — Tufa formation in pre-sunrise light, backed by dark clouds above the Sierra Nevada.

The light on this scene was a surprise. I had left my campsite high in the Sierra Nevada while it was still dark, arriving at the shore of Mono Lake well before sunrise. For a moment I was the only person there before others began arriving. There were lot of clouds — which can be a blessing or a curse for sunrise photography, depending on where they are and whether there are breaks in the right directions. I expected to arrive at this formation in fairly dismal light, then go look for compositions and set up for sunrise.

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Desert Reflections, Lake Manly

Desert Reflections, Lake Manly
“Desert Reflections, Lake Manly” — Desert mountains and sky reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

Looking at this aquatic scene it is hard to believe the normally here we would be looking at arid salt flats extending toward the horizon, not the reflective surface of a very large lake. But this is Death Valley, a place of astonishing variety, and sometimes that arid landscape is full of water.

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Desert Mountains and Reflection, Morning

Desert Mountains and Reflection, Morning
“Desert Mountains and Reflection, Morning” — Panamint Range mountains, clouds and morning light, reflected in Lake Manly.

Here is another morning photograph on Manly Lake. I know — that is a LOT of photographs of this feature! But I had several beautiful mornings there this season, and each produced quite a haul of pictures portraying different moods and surroundings. At the moment I made this one, a band of light was striking a ridge descending toward the lake, while the foreground and more distant shadows were in muted light.

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