5:14 am: Rain showers at sunrise, Mono Lake
You arrive for sunrise. It’s early, 5:14 am, but warm enough that you’ve left your jacket in the car. It starts raining. Do you run the half mile round trip to get a raincoat? The light’s great. Heck no. It’s a little windy, so use a puddle for what reflection you can get, in spite of the rain.
The color fades, clouds are going back to blue, time to get that coat? No, There are columns of rain over the lake, and there’s a trace of red returning.
5:37 am: Geese and a column of rain at sunrise.
Direct sunlight illuminates the underside of the clouds with orange. The rain is gone except for the distant columns. Gotta love the high desert. Good that you didn’t go back for a jacket. Shoot the “ghost ship” island to the east/northeast.
5:38 am: Direct sunlight reaches the clouds and rain
Sunrise is 5:34, but mountains tot he east are blocking the sun’s direct light for a few more minutes. Don’t get mesmerized by the shiny light in front of you, turn around! Anti-crepuscular rays seem to shoot out of the Sierra Nevada near Mt. Gibbs. Run across the peninsula and shoot to the west.
5:43 am: Anti-crepuscular rays reflect in Mono Lake
But wait, there’s a column of rain to the north getting good light… back through the peninsula to shoot that way! At 5:46 am, you’ve go it.
Photo Of The Day: “Sunrise Storm Cloud Over Mono Lake” by @JeffSullPhoto. Location: Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, California. View our Photo Of The Day gallery at https://t.co/Kp4tdqKo1L pic.twitter.com/illZYk7HjT
— Outdoor Photographer (@OutdoorPhotoMag) June 19, 2019
It hardly seems possible, but a little to your right, the ghost ship is getting even better. One minute later, a couple of compositions are on your memory card.
5:47 am: Sunrise at Mono Lake
Be greedy. Capture multiple compositions!
A few minutes later, crepuscular rays are shooting out from the eastern horizon.
5:53 am: compose wider to capture the crepuscular rays shooting out from the rising sun.
Direct sunlight is starting to reach the calcium carbonate tufa rock formations, but even golden hour light seems like a poor substitute for the spectacular sunrise that has just occurred. Time to head to town for breakfast!
If you’d like to visit Mono Lake, my 320-page guidebook “Photographing California Vol. 2 – South” dedicates 9 pages to the Lake, 20 pages to the Mono Basin, adn several chapters to the Eastern Sierra region. Or to be guided directly to the best conditions and light, consider my workshops in the area!
Photographing California, Vol.2 – South, landscape photography guidebook by Jeff-Sullivan
Comments
Awesome post!