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

YouTube Videos Of My Photography - New

A little sunrise photo adventure above Donner Lake in Truckee, California. It's been a few years since I've shot one of my photo adventures. 

And here's a little recent YouTube Short of an icy Donner Lake shoreline.

I'm a bit out of practice but I hope to start shooting more of these "behind the scenes" videos of my photography sessions soon. Thanks for looking and I hope you are all having a great day!

-Scott Thompson

New Rainbow Bridge Sunrise Photograph - And A Behind The Scenes Video

A few days ago, I got out to one of my favorite "go-to" spots for sunrise photography. It's a fairly easy spot to get to when I don't have a lot of time to spend hiking or driving further. Rainbow Bridge above Donner Lake and Truckee, California has provided many cool photos for me over the years. Although I was hoping for more explosive sunrise colors that were also higher in the sky, I really can't complain as the vibrant pinks were beautiful looking.

"Sunrise at Rainbow Bridge 4"

Photographed with a Canon 5DS R and a 16-35mm lens set at 28mm. A graduated neutral density filter was used on the lens in order to darken the sky above the bridge a bit. The ISO was 400, the aperture was f11, and it was a 30 second exposure. The scene actually looked darker to the naked eye but the long exposure helped lighten the scene and also bring out more color to the lights of Truckee and Hwy 80 in the background. The RAW image was worked on in Photoshop's Camera RAW feature where I lightened the shadow areas quite a bit.

The making of this photo can be seen on a recent dtube video:





 As always, fine art prints of this image are available through my website. Canvas prints, prints on metal, and photo gift items.

Thank you for looking, reading, and watching!

-Scott Thompson

My 10 Best Tahoe Photos of 2015

It's that time of year again. Time for one of my favorite blog posts. Where I look back at all the photos I took during the year and pick my 10 favorite. I shot many cool photos this year but these stood out as my best Tahoe area photos. Please enjoy, and Happy New Year!



This one looks amazing as a 40"x60" canvas print. You can check the big canvas out at the Vista Gallery in Kings Beach.  I knew when I was shooting it that was a special sunset.

"Sunset at Lake Tahoe 32" - Photograph of a pink sunset over Heavenly Ski Resort and Lake Tahoe, shot from Tahoe City. Shot 2015-02-02

A classic angle at Rainbow Bridge. I usually shoot at this spot a few times a year. And I finally got a fog covered Donner Lake with an amazing sunrise. You can check out this as a 40"x60" canvas at Art Obsessions art gallery in Downtown Truckee. 

"Sunrise at Rainbow Bridge 1" - This colorful sunrise was photographed at Rainbow Bridge, above a fog covered Donner Lake and Truckee, California. Shot 2015-02-19

The iconic "Bonsai Rock" at lake Tahoe is shot by many photographers. I have shot it many times myself. But on this visit I found some wildflowers blooming. It made for a great foreground and a different look to Bonsai Rock.

"Wildflowers at Bonsai Rock 1" - These wildflowers were photographed along the East shore of Lake Tahoe at Bonsai Rock. Shot 2015-04-30

Sometimes the colors of Lake Tahoe's water is unreal. But it is real. The blues, greens, and aquas are something you need to check out it person to believe.

"Boulders at Lake Tahoe 43" - Photograph of boulders along the East shore of a very blue Lake Tahoe, just north of Sand Harbor. Shot 2015-04-30

Well, this might be my favorite for the year.  The lupine blooms were amazing all around Lake Tahoe. The last time I saw it bloom this big was in 2004. I shot many photos of the lupine but this one at night with the Milky Way was awesome.

"Tahoe Lupine at Night 2" - Photograph taken just before sunrise of Lupine wildflowers, the night's sky, the Milky Way, and Lake Tahoe. Shot 2015-06-17

I love shooting Donner Lake from Donner Summit. There's such a variety of foreground subjects and the lake always makes a beautiful addition to any photo.  Add a stunning sunset and you get this.

"Wildflowers Above Donner Lake 1" - These wildflowers were photographed at sunset above Donner Lake in Truckee, California. Shot 2015-07-01

This was a fun one to shoot while hanging out with my friend Tony Spiker of www.spikerphotography.com. The Milky Way, Lake Tahoe, and some trees on the side of a granite cliff. It all made for a pretty cool shot. 

"Milky Way Over Lake Tahoe 1" - Photograph of the Milky Way and other stars over Lake Tahoe at night. Shot 2015-09-07

Another spot I go to on a regular basis. Sometimes to walk my dog, sometimes for photography fun. It's a spot that only takes a couple minutes to get to after I drop my son off at school in the morning. Some mornings are better than others, I thought this was one of those better mornings. 

"Donner Lake Morning 9" - Donner Lake and Donner Summit photographed from the East end of the lake, also know as "dog beach". Shot 2015-09-17

It was cold on this morning. The early season snow blanketed the Martis Valley, the trees, and the mountains. I found this one lone tree that made for a simple yet cool composition. I like looking as this photo as I find it calming. 

"Snowy Martis Valley 4" - Photograph of a lone tree in a snow covered Martis Valley in Truckee, California. Shot 2015-11-05

This photo went "viral" and was shared on Facebook over 1,000 times. It was my most shared and liked image of all time! Like I said in it's post, Truckee is one of those towns that is magical during the holidays. Downtown gets a little extra light from all the Christmas lights. And we had snow this year, a great relief for everyone! Here's a link to the post that went viral:  Facebook Post Link While your there, please give my page a like!

"Downtown Truckee 22" - Photograph of historic Downtown Truckee, California, shot at dusk. Shot 2015-12-12

I would say that it was a good year for Scott Shots Photography. I added a ton of new photos to my archive and business was up. Thank you to everyone who enjoys, likes and shares my photos! And thank you to everyone who has bought prints, licensed images, or hired me for photo shoots! I'm a lucky man to be able to make a living with a camera. 

Cheers to 2015! May 2016 be even better!

-Scott Thompson 

For a larger view of these photos and for purchasing information, please click on the images. These images are available to order from ScottShotsPhoto.com or from local fine art galleries as large fine art prints, printed by Scott Thompson personally. Images are also available as photo gift items or as stock photography.