In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you — Deepak Chopra

This North Lake morning reflection image might present a scene of stillness and quietness, but in real life, it was a zoo out there. I arrived at North Lake the dark, set up my tripod, and waited for sunrise. Just before sunrise, about two dozen “photographers” invaded this small lake. Apparently, a greedy and irresponsible workshop leader decided to bring over twenty students out to this fragile location during the sunrise hour.

I was looking for some quiet time alone, but the noise pollution from this group was intolerable. To get away from incessant human noises, I picked up my tripods and walked to the other side of the lake. The noises followed me, “What’s that plastic thing in front of your lens? How much did you pay for that bag?” I drove for six hours, and waited patiently in the cold morning for sunrise light and still water … to tell a stranger how much I paid for my photo bag? There was another “photographer” two feet from my left who wanted my exact tripod position. First-come, first-served? Common courtesy? None was applicable out there that morning. Did I mention sandwich wrappers and orange peels found scattering around the lake perimeter around 6AM?

I did my best to ignore all the noises and to focus through my view finder to find my own space. In the end, I just shook my head, packed up my gears and left the lake shortly after I took this photo. I came home with a few good photos, but full of disappointments for my fellow “photographers”.

I wrote this post last year, but did not want not to post it out of anger. A few months later, I decided to share my story just to send a gentle reminder to those who are new to nature photography: when out shooting on remote locations, please remember to tread lightly and leave only footprints. We all come from different corners of life, but as nature photographers, we should share a common bond: our love and respect for our beautiful landscape.

Aspen trees in the early morning light on Lake Sabrina

After my morning shoot on North Lake, I headed over to Lake Sabrina, sat out on the rocks and waited for the water surface to settle; it never did. I turned my attention to the east side of the lake. There were a lot of trees getting lit up as the sun rose above the mountains behind the trees. The slope seemed to catch on fire with the bright leaves burning in the morning sun. Didn’t want to photograph just a bunch of random trees, I scanned the lake side looking for interesting compositions.

I found this group of aspens forming a flame-like pattern. Knowing that a “proper exposure” would produce a flat and washed out image, I under exposed my shots to get the highlights to really pop against a dark background. I am not comfortable with the whole “expose to the right ” theory quite yet. Being a computer science major, I totally get why it makes sense to “expose to the right”, but having a washed out RAW image and having to dial back the exposure to obtain a more “correct” exposure later during post processing seems unnatural for me. I still tend to under expose my shots to keep my highlights in check. For what I typically shoot, shadow details aren’t that important to me. As long as I get my highlights the way I want, I’d be contented to let the shadows fall where they may.

I had a productive morning in Bishop Creek Canyon. After the light became too harsh, I went back to town to pick up Mrs Photofool (she rarely wakes up early for my sunrise shoots). We then drove up the mountains and spent the next few hours enjoying Autumn colors flowing down various creeks and streams. Well before sunset time, we left for Little Lakes Valley to scout for potential locations for my next sunrise shoot.

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.

North Lake’s Aspens basking in the early morning Autumn light.

Just got back from my road trip to the California’s Eastern Sierra. Had a good trip. Drove over 1000 miles, many on dirt roads. Did Bishop Creek Canyon, Rock Creek Canyon, Little Lakes Valley, Lundy Canyon, and Bodie. Got lost hiking in the John Muir wilderness (more about that later). Enjoyed two nice sunrises. Took some good photos. Totally spent now. Went a week too early, but caught some beautiful Autumn colors. Thinking about going to the Eastern Sierra this Fall? Definitely go during the next two weeks.

Decided to post this late morning light instead of earlier sunrise light shots where the trees were still in deep shadow. Will get around to writing a little more about my trip and posting a few more photos.