Tag Archives: morning

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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Morning Mountains, Skye

Morning Mountains, Skye
“Morning Mountains, Skye” — Soft atmosphere and clouds above the Cuillin Mountains, Isle of Skye.

On our final morning on the Isle of Skye back in May, as we drove to leave the island and head north, we came to an overlook of the Cuillin Mountains — or “Cuillin Hills” or “The Cuillins,” as they are sometimes known. These are high (for Scotland) and rugged peaks famed for their climbing opportunities. The range is composed of the higher Black Cuillins, rising to the right side of this image, and the Red Cuillins, which include the large peak at the left.

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Mountains, Morning Light

Mountains, Morning Light
“Mountains, Morning Light” — Morning light, mist and clouds on Beinn Dearg, Isle of Skye.

As a person who has spent a lifetime exploring California’s High Sierra Nevada, I have seen a lot of rugged, alpine scenes. “My” mountains typically require me to climb to near or above 10,000′ to see scenes like this. But here in Scotland, on the Isle of Skye specifically, the mountains rise from essentially sea level. While the peaks are all below 4000′, they nonetheless present the same alpine scenery I find among the highest peaks in the Sierra.

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