“Mono Lake, Earth Shadow, Clouds” — Mono Lake, evening clouds, earth’s shadow above the horizon
A few clouds drifted east from the Sierra crest and held together long enough to occupy the sky above Mono Lake at sunset. The long shadow of the Sierra stretched across the foreground shoreline and tufa formations, and in the distance the earth’s shadow is visible above basin and range mountains.
“Evening Clouds, Mono Lake” — Evening clouds from the Sierra Nevada drift over Mono Lake.
Late in the afternoon I was photographing autumn aspen trees in a deep valley along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada. Not long after I arrived there developing clouds began to block the light that best shows the intense colors of the trees. I continued working and found ways to photograph effectively in the soft light, but I was a bit disappointed by the cloud cover. And then it occurred to me that the cloud line would end as they dissipated out over Mono Lake.
“Tuolumne River, Dusk” — Dusk light on the Tuolumne River and Meadow, Lembert Dome, and the Sierra crest.
Photographing in the morning and evening twilight can be a bit of a crapshoot. The light can be soft yet intensely colorful… or it can simply fade away to gray. Familiarity with the patterns of clouds and light can improve the odds, but you still have to head out there and take advantage of whatever happens. That was my plan on this late-August evening when thin clouds stretched across the sky, presenting the possibility of colorful light.
“A Riquewihr Christmas Tree” — A small Christmas display beneath a towering bare tree at dusk, Riquewihr.
Riquewihr, in the Alsace region of France, is one of those “too-cute-to-believe” villages, made extra so around Christmas, which is when we visited. Like many of the old villages here, it fits the expected profile of cute old villages, with an entrance through an old arch and many half-timbered old buildings lining a cobblestone street. Add holiday lights and it is almost a holiday sensory overload.
We stayed on the edge of the town for several days, so we could simply walk into the village. That’s what we did on this evening, when we took a stroll up and down the main street. I saw this walkway, with its great old bare tree and Christmas decorations beneath.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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