New Photos From Last Weekend's Backpacking Adventure

I finally had time to go trough and work on some new photos from a little overnight solo backpacking adventure last weekend. The destination was Flora Lake and Azalea Lake. Both lakes are near each other. It was a lot fun being out there, but it was mostly relaxing being all by myself.

In this first drone sunrise photo, you can see Azalea Lake on the left and Flora Lake on the right. Donner Lake and Truckee, California can be seen in the distance.

Here's one of Flora Lake at sunrise, with Donner Lake in the background. Again, shot at sunrise with the drone.

I love Castle Peak! And you can see it in the background of this Azalea Lake photo below.

This one is a nighttime shot, the light was provided by the moon. The water was so still and peaceful.

And another reflection shot, I really like how the rocky shoreline was looking at Azalea Lake.

And my peaceful little camp spot. Nobody else was out there!

I hope you all have some nice adventures this weekend...

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.TruckeeTahoePhotos.com - Art
Scott Shots Photography - Services

Just Another New Rainbow Bridge Photo...

I'm pretty happy with this pretty shot! I was very lucky to be at the right place at the right time. This location is not what I had planned. In fact, I was on my way to a real estate shoot. The place where I live is down under those clouds, across the street from Donner Lake. I had called the real estate agent and asked how the weather was looking at the summit house, because it looked grey and non-photogenic at my house. She assured me it was mostly clear with a blue sky at the house I was shooting.

As I was driving up the road to the house, I got above the inversion clouds and was treated to a beautiful view. Since I was a little ahead of schedule, I pulled over at Rainbow Bridge, hopped out of my SUV, and shot this image. Three minutes later I was back on the road, headed to my shoot.

Shot with a Canon R5 MarkII and a 24-105mm lens. ISO 320, the shutter speed was 1/160 of a second, and the lens aperture was f/22. Handheld, no filters.

Thank you for looking, and I hope you all had a beautiful day too!

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.TruckeeTahoePhotos.com - Art
Scott Shots Photography - Services

Interesting Trees Near Echo Peak, Tahoe

I recently went for a big hike with a friend and the dog se is dog sitting, up to Echo Peak in the Tahoe area of California. There was a fair amount of smokey haze in the air from a nearby wildfire, not many photos were taken, but I did end up with a few "keepers" of interesting trees.

These next three images were shot with the Canon R5 MKII, near the peak, after a long hike up the mountain. There were lots of trees and boulders that were weathered, twisted, beat-up, and photogenic. The weather up there is not gentle but that makes for some unique scenes.

Here's a few phone photos of the day's adventure. Echo lake is below, in Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness.

My friend's family has owned a property on Echo Lake since the 1920's. It's a boat-in only location, new homes are not allowed to be built in the area. It's a pretty special little cabin!

Tons of fun out there, even if tons of photos weren't taken.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.TruckeeTahoePhotos.com - Art
Scott Shots Photography - Services

New Rainbow Photos

The weather has been wild this last week. So much rain in the afternoons! And what does that mean??? Well, lately it means RAINBOWS!!! There have been rainbows the last three evenings, and I have been lucky to have the time to get out with the camera and capture them.

This photo is above the cherry on top for me. I can't wait to print it up huge. I have been trying to capture a rainbow over Rainbow Bridge and Truckee, CA for over 20 years. Every time I make the drive up there after seeing a rainbow in town, it is gone by the time I make it up Old Hwy 40. Finally! And with yellow blooming rabbitbrush in the foreground, yes!

Shot with the Canon R5 MKII and a 24-105mm lens, with a polarizing filter on the front of the lens. The ISO was 50, the shutter speed was 1 second long (camera on a tripod), and the lens aperture was nice and small, f/22, in order to have a sharp focus on the flowers in the foreground and the mountains in the background.

Here's a couple more rainbow photos, above and below. These were actually shot across the street from where I live. It's so nice to be able to look out the window at the lake, see the rainbows, grab the gear, and capture these scenes.

Thank you for looking and I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.TruckeeTahoePhotos.com - Art
Scott Shots Photography - Services