Golden aspens awaiting first light as the morning mist rises from Patricia Lake, Jasper National Park – Alberta, Canada

I shot this image about fifteen minutes prior to my previous photo, Layers of Stillness. From this view, turn 120° left to see the alpenglow on the Triden Range. Patricia Lake is small and easily accessible, but when those aspens turn colors on a crystal clear lake water surface, this place is incredibly photogenic. Throw in a moody cold Autumn mist rising under a colorful sunrise sky, this place can take one’s breath away. The best part about this beautiful morning sunrise? I saw only two other sunrise watchers enjoying this scene in silence. Out on this small lake, I found my own space and time, and I loved the absolute stillness of this quiet sunrise. This was one of those rare intangible moments that I can’t described nor captured with my camera. I think of myself as a “light chaser”, but it is not just about the light, it’s about finding those “pauses” that make time stands still. “Light” is what you see.

First light on the snow-capped peaks of the Trident Range reflected in the stillness of Patricia Lake, Jasper National Park – Alberta, Canada

I mentioned in my previous post that I spent two hours on Patricia Lake for a sunrise that didn’t materialized; undeterred, I went back the next morning and caught this beautiful sunrise: first light struck the snowy peaks of the distant Trident Range as the Autumn fog slowly rose from the stillness of the lake water surface. Everything seemed to move in super slow motion in the quiet dawn hour. Being a city dweller, my sensory gets assaulted every day from every possible directions; thus being out here in this quietude was nirvana as I found myself lost in these layers of stillness …

First Light over Mt. Laurel, Convict Lake – Eastern Sierra, California

This is a color version of a similar shot converted to black and white I posted last week. I guess this is a “normal” view of the scene as opposed to the surrealism feel from the previous high contrast b&w version. The two were shot about an hour apart.

Mt Grinnell Alpenglow – Many Glacier, Montana.

Sunrise light on Mt Grinnell and Mt Gould. This image was taken few minutes after Sunrise Cloud Movements over Swiftcurrent Lake. I much prefer the clouds in the first shot, but I do like the alpenglow here.

PS: I’ve been too busy lately … trying my best to find time to post.

Sunrise over St Mary Lake – Glacier National Park, Montana.

Remember my St Mary Lake’s Rising Run Sunrise post? This Wild Goose Island alpenglow was shot about half an hour after I photographed Rising Sun Sunrise. I wished that I had a better sky to work with this beautiful morning light. This is a blended image from a single RAW exposure.

Although this is not a very original composition, I decided to post this image to setup for my next post showing the exact same view with a different sky.

PS: my new 1TB hardrive died, thus it took a while for me to restore my photos from backups and to get back to posting.

The Garden Wall and Going To The Sun Road in the evening light – Logan Pass, Montana

Didn’t think I’d get good sunset light to work with on Hidden Lake, I left to find a better spot and found this scene near Logan Pass: The setting sun illuminated the Garden Wall, revealing the Highlight Trail above Going To The Sun Road.

This image is a digital blend from a single RAW exposure shot with a two stops soft edge GND filter. Getting this shot was a good way to end a productive shooting day: the previous five images I posted came from a single day of shooting from sunrise to sunset. I wished everyday in the park could be that fun, but it rained half of the time we were there.

Mt Gould Alpenglow at sunrise on Swiftcurrent Lake – Many Glacier, Montana.

I was experimenting with bulb exposures to exaggerate the cloud movements, but as the beautiful sunrise light lit up the top of the mountain range, I removed two of my GND filters to cut down my exposure time. Knowing that this beautiful alpenglow wouldn’t last long, I hurried a few shots before the intensity of the sunrise light faded. Perhaps this was the best sunrise light that I was lucky enough to catch during my trip.

The previous morning, I got out on the lake shore at 5am and waited for the sunrise alpenglow that never showed up. Two of the Many Glacier hotel employees joined my company. I asked them about their experience with sunrise on this lake. They described how they once saw the three peaks (Mt Gould, Mt Grinnell, Mt Wilbur) became infernal volcanoes spewing out fiery clouds! On this sunrise, I witnessed a glimpse of what the “locals” get to see.

When my new sunrise companions found out that I write computer software for a living. Both of them stared at me for a few seconds, “What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere in the dark?” I replied, “Once in a while, I love to get a way from the computers, turn off my cellphone and get off ‘the grid’ for a few days to find myself again.” They both nodded in approval. We talked about how beautiful this place is during the summer and how isolated it can be in the brutal winters. Both later offered to take me on a guided hike to hidden place with caves and waterfalls. I was tempted, really tempted, but I politely turned it down. Perhaps next time, I might take up on their offer …

Swiftcurrent Lake sunrise – Many Glacier, Montana.

Although we encountered wind gusting 25-40 mph and rains during our week long visiting Glacier National Park, this area is one of the most visually stunning locations that I have visited. The diversity of photographic opportunities were amazing: rugged mountains, towering peaks, dramatic clouds, turquoise lakes, raging waterfalls and cascades, exquisite flora and exotic fauna … I was in heaven. No wonder why this little corner of the world is known as “The Crown of the Continent“. Over the next few weeks, I will post a series of photos that I managed to capture during my time there.

This ninety seconds exposure was taken during my second sunrise photographing Swiftcurrent Lake in the Many Glacier area. The prominent peak on the right is Mt Grinnell and Mt Gould is under those fast moving clouds above the valley. Both mornings, the strong wind destroyed all the lake reflections:(

To maximize the wind effect, I stacked three GND filters (3 stops hard + 2 stops hard + 2 stops soft) to simulate solid ND filters to lengthen my exposure time. With the sunrise light changing rapidly every minute, I could not afford to experiment with too many of these long exposures and loose the exquisite sunrise light. In my next post, I will upload a much shorter exposure of the same location shot a few minutes later.

Bishop Creek Canyon’s aspens awaiting morning light on North Lake.

I really rushed my last post out because I got a little excited with the clear reflections that I waited for since pre-dawn. Had I taken my time, I would have posted this shot first. I photographed this North Lake sunrise about half an hour before the previous shot when the morning light began to fill the valley.

About my trip to the California Eastern Sierra last weekend, except for the high elevation locations, most of the trees were still green. The Sabrina Basin (above Aspendell) should be peaking by now. Elsewhere, I saw mostly greens and patches of yellows here and there. There were some good colors on Lake Sabrina, Rock Creek Lake, and deep inside Lundy Canyon. Barring storms, the Fall colors should be peaking in the Eastern Sierra during the next two weeks. Planning to photograph sunrise in the Bishop Creek Canyon area? Out of the three main lakes there (South Lake, Sabrina Lake, and North Lake), North Lake usually gets the first morning light. After North Lake, I typically head to Lake Sabrina to continue my morning shoot.

PS: I’m way too busy… will try to post the next one in a couple of days … same bat-channel, same bat-time ~12-1am PST.

Sunrise over Convict Lake – Eastern Nevada, California. [on black]

“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.” — May Sarton

I didn’t want to go too far for a sunrise shoot, so I decided to return to Convict Lake. It was difficult getting up at 5am after riding my heart out the day before, but I eventually made it out to the lake. I sat by the lake side for two hours, enjoying the early morning solitude. There was no other distraction but the soft morning light and the slight breezes dancing with the mountain reflections in the water. View like this made my twelve hours round trip worth every minute.

Last year, I shot a similar photo showing a few fishermen fishing during the early morning hours, Dawn Light over Convict Lake. This time, I decided to do a back and white version. The picnic table in this shot was in the same area that I shot last Fall’s Season Change photo. This empty picnic table in the water might convey a sense of aloneness and isolation, but I love every single minute of my time on the lake. I couldn’t find words more fitting than May Sarton’s quote above, “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”

PS: A few folks asked me how was the snow? 65°F on the slopes during the second weekend of May? The snow on Mammoth Mountain was much better than I expected. I rode with two local experts, my good buddy Steve and his friend Chris. They found a couple of smooth and fast runs off Face Lift Express (aka Chair 3).