Fannette Island - Image Breakdown

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During a long hike that started in the morning and ended after sunset, I chanced upon this scene. It was along the side of a mountain overlooking Fannette Island, a little piece of land in the middle of an inlet in southwest Lake Tahoe. I reached this spot just before sunset and decided to wait. What followed was arguably one of the more glorious light shows I have witnessed over the past 15 years. The clouds from a scattering rainstorm caught the fiery rays of the setting sun just right and the sky screamed in raging colours. There were reds and oranges, purples and deep blues. And some violets mixed in too. The display was fiery but short-lived. As quick as it came on, the colours died out. I’m glad I captured the various shades that danced there that evening.

Scroll through to see different compositions of the scene and how dramatically the light changed that evening.

Captured on a Canon 500D
70mm・f/14・ISO 100・3.2 seconds

Morning's Herald - Image Breakdown

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The alarm rings at 3:45 am. Cursing under my breath, I hit the snooze button, wondering for the umpteenth time if it’s worth waking up this early on the weekend, when it’s still cold outside, and dark - pitch dark. A 40-minute drive gets me to a dusty pull-out beside the lake, and a quick 5-minute scramble down a steep incline and misshaped boulders brings me to the edge. The water is dead calm and there is barely enough light to make out colour or form. I wait. Slowly, it begins. First, a chill wind, gentle enough that it does not disturb the surface of the lake, yet firm enough that it nudges the clouds across the sky. And then, the horizon to the east lights up, brushing blue-gold streaks above and around me, painting in a scene that will be as fleeting as it is beautiful. That’s when I remind myself. It’s worth it. Always worth it.

Canon 500D
Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS II
18mm・f/13・ISO 100・243 seconds
B+W 10-stop ND filter