Lakeside Details

Exploring a new location around one of my favorite Eastern Sierra lakes on what was a very brisk autumn morning.

Initially I had a different route in mind, but for unknown reasons I found myself drawn in the opposite direction. I had already made a few photographs, none of which had me jonesing to race home to the digital darkroom, but at least I now knew that my fingers still worked well enough to operate my camera (thanks to the chemical hand warmers I had in each pocket of my black down jacket.)

When I arrived here, the obvious view was in the opposite direction. I framed up a couple of different compositions then turned to leave. I gave this spot a quick glance. Nothing special stood out, but I kept looking. I felt like I was missing something. Just a bunch of bushes and trees. After a few more seconds I started to get a feeling of intimacy and solitude.

Now for the first time I looked through my viewfinder and began trying to work out a composition. I was close, but I wanted more of the lake in view in order to take advantage of the rising steam that was now coming up off the lake surface. I walked out into the lake two or three feet and was able to frame up this shot.

I'm really glad I was able to see this composition. For some reason I get a very peaceful vibe from this photograph.

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