First Light Over North Lake - Fall Colors Photograph

by Duane Miller

Title

First Light Over North Lake - Fall Colors Photograph

Artist

Duane Miller

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

It was a cold, cold morning in October when I crawled out of bed in the pre-dawn hours, loaded my gear into my truck, and headed west out of Bishop into the darkness. As I climbed through the Eastern Sierra foothills toward my destination, I was on high alert. I had almost hit a deer running across the road the night before, so I had my high beams on and was scanning the road back and forth for hazards. The thermometer showed 12 degrees outside so I had the heater on full blast.

I reached the turn off to North Lake and began winding my way up the hillside. The previous day had been cloudy and I was hoping for better weather this morning, but I couldn't tell what the sky was like because it was still dark. I just knew it wasn't raining (or snowing given the sub-freezing temperature).

Pulling my truck into the parking lot, I grabbed my camera bag and tripod, turned on my headlamp, and began walking down the trail toward the far end of the lake. I had planned out where I wanted to be the evening before so I had a vague idea where I was going, but seeing a spot across the lake in the daylight is a lot different than stumbling your way toward it in the dark. The trail ran out before I reached my destination so began working my way around the edge of the lake trying not to fall in. The sky had lightened somewhat and I was able to see a little better.

I found the small clearing that I had spied the previous day and began to set up my gear. As the sky brightened I began choosing my composition. I was trying to get a mirror-like reflection of the mountain, but the wind picked up in the distance rippling the water -- fortunately it stayed still closer to me. I chose to use a long exposure, primarily for the dim lighting, but also to smooth out the ripples as much as possible. I think it worked out okay.

Uploaded

September 5th, 2015

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