Scott Shots Photography Blog. Follow the adventures of Truckee / Tahoe, CA photographer Scott Thompson. Photographs, locations, advice, how to's, QandA's
Tonight's sunset was beautiful, but I was out sitting along the shoreline of Donner Lake, sipping tea, with no camera on me...
Last night's sunset was also beautiful! And I had gone up to the Donner Summit area for some photo fun. After I had dinner, I looked outside and determined that the clouds looked like we might actually get some nice color looking to the east, instead of just to the west. So I headed up to get a view of Rainbow Bridge, Donner Lake, and the town of Truckee, California. I live near the far end of the lake in the photo below, so it's not a very far drive to this vista location.
Fortunately, I was correct, and the color looking to the east was indeed incredible! The purples and pinks were very nice to see, and fun to shoot. I'm still not sure though which photo I like better. The horizontal, or the vertical with Rainbow Bridge in the frame. Which one do you like better?
Both of these were shot with a Canon 5DS R and a 24-105mm lens. The camera's ISO was 100, the lens aperture was f/20, and the exposures were a few seconds long. A graduated neutral density filter was used on the front of the lens.
The water level at Donner Lake is fairly low right now, it always is this time of year. They drain it a bit in order to protect the docks and piers around the lake from any ice that forms. I wanted to get a new shot of the boulders that get exposed on the south side of the lake when this happens. So, yesterday afternoon, I walked out to that spot with my camera gear.
While there, I found this rock spiral that someone had built. The lake's water level was perfect for flooding the spiral, but leaving the rocks exposed. As soon as I saw the spot, I pretty much knew that it is were I would be when I set up the gear. Lucky me, we had a nice sunset, and I think I came away with another great photo!
These were both shot with a Canon 5DS R and a 16-35mm lens. This camera's ISO was 50, and the lens aperture was f22. Two graduated neutral density filters were used on the front of the lens. The settings and the filters allowed me to have a long exposure of about 6 seconds. The long exposure allowed for the ripples in the water to look more smooth, which creates a better reflection.
Yup, once again... A happy photographer!
Thank you for looking and I hope you are all having a great weekend.
Join me for a behind the scenes look at my recent sunset photo shoot above Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe. Camera settings and techiques are discussed. The "keeper" photos are shown throughout the video.
Prints are available of the images in this video. For more information, please visit my "Recent Work Gallery"
The Sky Fire app was calling for a nice sunset on Christmas Eve, so I got out again to Lake Tahoe for some photography fun. Well, Merry Christmas to me, it was a great one! It was also a short one... The sunset colors only lasted a few minutes, I was feeling lucky to have captured a nice panoramic image above Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe at the peak of the colorful explosion.
This first image is a stitched panoramic image. Meaning, I shot several photos while panning the camera on the tripod. I then stitched the images together using a program called PTGui. In my opinion, PTGui almost always does a better job of stitching images together when compared to using Photoshop's panorama tool. It is 14 photos, that are combined in to one wide high resolution photo. Shot with the Canon 5DS R and a 16-35mm lens. The camera's ISO was 50, the lens aperture was f/16, and each of the 14 exposures were 10 seconds long. A tripod was used, and a 1.2 stop graduated neutral density filter was used on the front of the lens.
This second image was also shot with the Canon 5DS R, but a 24-105 mm lens was used, and the lens was set at 88mm. It is a much closer look at the intense sunset colors, most of the colors in the clouds had faded by the time I set up this shot.The camera's ISO was 50, the lens aperture was f/16, and it was a 10 second exposure. A tripod was used, and a 1.2 graduated neutral density filter was used on the front of the lens. Yup! It was the same settings as the images for the photo above, the only difference was the lens choice.
And this selfie... well, it was shot with the Samsung S22+. Happy photographer!
The sunsets and sunrises have been incredible up here in the Tahoe area lately!
I had a busy day with the camera yesterday. After I shot two real estate photo jobs, I ended up getting dinner at my favorite little Mexican food stands. Their Chimichangas are incredible! After I got my order, I drove across the street to Kings Beach, where there were plenty of unused picnic tables. The clouds were looking like they might make for a nice sunset so I hung out at the beach for an hour and waited.
I'm glad I waited! The sunset was a real stunner. The oranges and reds were intense, and it was one of those sunset where the color stuck around a looong time.
These were both shot with the Canon 5DS R and a 16-35mm lens. No lens filters were used, however, two flash units were used in order to light up those trees and get those fall colors to pop.
Happy photographer, once again. I have been getting a lot of new photos for my website lately, which yes, makes me smile!
Thank you for looking and I hope you all had a great day too!
It's been great living across the street from Donner Lake! I moved here a few weeks ago, and being that close to the lake allows me to make last minute decisions to grab the camera gear, and rush out to capture incredible light on the lake. Tonight's sunset shoot was another one of those last minute decisions. When I noticed the clouds lining up for a good one, I finished eating dinner as fast as I could, and rushed to this location. The color was starting to happen right as I was setting up. I just made it, without a minute to spare!
Shot with the Canon 5DS R and a 24-105mm lens. The ISO was 400, the shutter speed was 1/50 of a second, and the lens aperture was f/7.1. A tripod and shutter release cable were used. No lens filters were used. Two flash units were used in order to light up those trees and leaves in the foreground. They would have been a silhouette without the flashes.
Okay, maybe I did have one minute to spare, so I shot this quick selfie. Happy photographer!!!
Thanks for looking and I hope you all had a great day!
I recently had the opportunity to capture some stunning new Donner Lake sunset photos. It had been quite some time since I last took pictures of landscapes. Life has presented its fair share of challenges lately, with numerous changes to navigate. However, amidst all the chaos, there is a silver lining - I am moving into a brand new studio apartment conveniently located right across the street from this breathtaking location!
After preparing myself a delicious dinner in my new pad, I noticed the sky transforming into a vibrant display of colors. Instead of driving for 15 minutes to reach my usual spot, I simply walked across the street with my gear. It only took me about 60 seconds to get there! During this time of year, these docks are frequently bustling with people, making it quite a task to find one that isn't occupied. However, in the evening and early morning, there are usually one or two docks available. In my spare time, I have also taken up fishing from these docks and even have the luxury of dragging my kayak across the street for a peaceful paddle. Living here truly is an incredible experience!
As I settle into my new living situation, I am excited to have more opportunities to capture the beauty of Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe in my photographs. You can expect to see more of my work being shared soon.
The photo above, labeled A, was taken approximately three minutes before the photo below, labeled B. Both were captured using a Canon 5DSr camera and a 24-105mm lens.
I must admit, I am torn between these two shots. Photo A showcases vibrant orange clouds, while Photo B boasts pink clouds and showcases a silhouette of a pine tree in the foreground. Which one do you prefer?
Thank you for taking the time to view my photos. As mentioned earlier, I am eager to get back to shooting and sharing more of my work soon. I hope you are having a wonderful day!
Bucket-list item, check! I never thought I'd actually be lucky enough to shoot this incredible sight but last week, I did! The famous man made Fly Geyser. It's tough to shoot because it sits on protected private property in Nevada near the town of Gerlach. But I was incredibly lucky that a good friend was able to get us access. Tony Spiker of Spiker Photography got the green light when he approached the property owners with a fundraising project. I'll post a link to his project when he has everything ready to go.
Fly Geyser was amazing to shoot. I can't believe how many different looks it can have in less than a 24 hour period. The tufa part of the geyser is made up of different minerals and the vibrant colors are due to the thermophilic algae on it. The colors shine through on daylight, sunset, sunrise, and night shots. A little extra light on the geyser from flashlights and/or camera flashes can really bring out the color in difficult lighting conditions. The spraying water and steam are constant which made for some great long exposures. It was so much fun to shoot!
More information about the geyser can be found on it's Wikipedia page:
Please enjoy this Fly Geyser slideshow below. A full screen slideshow can be viewed by CLICKING HERE. These images are available to purchase as large fine art prints, printed by me personally, through my website and through Tahoe area art galleries.
Last night I shot a fiery sunset out at Lake Tahoe. I went to a spot that I feel is one of the best and easiest places to get a good photo of Lake Tahoe, the popular vista point on HWY 431 or Mount Rose Highway. This spot provides a spectacular view for taking photos just steps from your car. From HWY 28 in Incline Village at the lake, take HWY 431 toward Reno. About a couple miles up the hill you will see a sign warning you that the scenic view is close, you can't miss the pull off.
"Sunset at Lake Tahoe 16" - This orange and yellow sunset at Lake Tahoe was photographed from the vista point on Hwy 431, or Mount Rose Highway.
Photos from the designated viewing area are great but I prefer the view from a little lower. If you're careful, you can climb down the rocks and get to an area with less trees blocking your view. Be careful if you do this, a fall would be bad.
If you have a wide angle lens, you should be able to get a photo of the entire lake. But I tend to prefer to zoom in a bit on the Crystal Bay California / Nevada state line point. The photo below was shot with a Canon 5D MarkII and a 24-105 mm lens, set to 105.
"Sunset at Lake Tahoe 18" - This orange and yellow sunset at Lake Tahoe was photographed from the vista point on Hwy 431, or Mount Rose Highway.
Please enjoy this slide show if images below that were shot from the HWY 431 vista point. (Not all of them were shot last night.)
All of the images above are available as large and small fine art prints, printed by Scott Thompson personally. Also available as gift items and to download and use as stock photography right now. Click on an image for more info.
"Tahoe Concours d'Elegance Sunset 1" - Photograph of classic wooden boats from the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance at sunset.
Last weekend I had the great experience of getting to photograph the Tahoe Concours d'Elegance for TahoeTV and the event organizers. The Concours d'Elegance is North Americas premier classic wooden boat show put on by the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation. I've been wanting to photograph the event since I moved to Tahoe but just never made it out. I'm sure I'll be back every year now...
I was lucky to have special access to the event, which made photos like the one above possible. The event was "closed" before sunset. You can shoot the boats from outside the event, over railing for free. But you're better off paying the entrance fee and getting up close and personal with the boats. Getting up close can provide some interesting "abstract" type shots of the beautiful craftsmanship that went into the making of the boats.
"Wooden Boat on Lake Tahoe 1" - This abstract photo of a classic wood boat was taken at the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance.
"Boat Steering Wheel 1" - This classic wooden boat steering wheel was photographed at the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance.
A tilt-shift lens is a big bonus at this event. I had a ton of fun getting shots that provided a "toy boat" look. There was also a lot going on in the background at the event so blurring it out heavily with the tilt-shift lens helped simplify the shots. Below are a couple tilt-shift shots, if you click on the images, you will see a larger version that makes it easier to see the effect.
"Toy Boats at the Concours d'Elegance 2" - Photograph of classic wooden boats from the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance. The toy boat effect was achieved using a tilt-shift lens.
"Toy Boats at the Concours d'Elegance 3" - Photograph of classic wooden boats from the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance. The toy boat effect was achieved using a tilt-shift lens.
On the third and last day of shooting, I was asked to shoot the grand finale, the Roar Off! This is where many of the boats pull out of the marina and show off their speed (and noise). They have to wait to pull out past all of the buoyed boats near the shore before they can make the boats "roar". I could tell when I scouted out a location that I was not going to be happy with the shots from the shore or a dock. So... I unloaded my kayak from my truck and braved dozens of spectator and exhibitor boats to get the shot.
I would NOT recommend shooting this part of the event from a kayak. There were plenty of smart photographers shooting from ski boats but I worked with what I had. There were many boats with lots of partying going on and I felt a little vulnerable in my easy to run over kayak. But I kept looking over my shoulders and raised my paddle if I could see a boat driver was paying more attention to the wood boats than what was around him. Big waves were also a problem when the Roar Off boats started having fun. A dry bag is a must for your gear if you do decide to shoot the event from a kayak, I got soaked. But it was worth the risk of sinking $18k in camera gear and I got many great shots like these:
"The Hornet II on Lake Tahoe" - Photograph of the Hornet II, a classic wood and aluminum Gar Wood special racing boat from the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance.
"Miss De Meanor on Lake Tahoe" - Photograph of the Miss De Meanor classic wooden boat from the 2011 Tahoe Concours d'Elegance.
Above are some of my favorites from the event. But I shot many many more. Please enjoy this slideshow below. Many more photos will be added to it in the upcoming days so check back. Thank you!
All of the images above are available as fine are prints, gift items, and as stock photography. Please click on an image or view the 2011 Concours d'Elegance gallery for more info.
Any questions about the event? Please ask in the comments!
Yesterday I added a new photo gallery to my website. Well, actually I divided one gallery up into two galleries. I had a Lake Tahoe Sunsets and Sunrises gallery. Now I have a Lake Tahoe Sunsets Gallery and a separate Lake Tahoe Sunrises gallery. This is because I was getting too many images in the original gallery, a good problem to have. I've been out shooting even more Tahoe and Truckee sunrises lately, although it has been tough as the sunrise happens pretty early this time of year. Please view the photos below for a few favorites.
"Sunrise Fishing on Lake Tahoe 2" - This trolling fishing pole was photographed at sunrise on Lake Tahoe. One of the motivating factors for getting up so early lately has been fishing. I have a good buddy with a fishing boat and I often get the invite. As you can see, fishing and photography go very nicely together.
"Tahoe Fishing Boat at Sunrise" - This silhouette of a fishing boat and fishing poles was photographed at sunrise on Lake Tahoe. The boat is my fishing buddy's boat and I have spent many hours fishing and taking pictures of Tahoe from it. The fishing boat was loaded with gear and coolers, and the silhouette worked great to hide it all.
"Tahoe Sailboats at Sunrise" - These silhouettes of sailboats were photographed at sunrise on Lake Tahoe. I captured this one from the dock, right as we were about to head out fishing for the day.
"Sunrise at Lake Tahoe 7" - This sunrise was photographed from a boat on Lake Tahoe. As we were heading out of the buoy zone, the boat was moving slow so I was able to capture a few photos of a fiery but near cloudless sunrise.
"Sunrise at Lake Tahoe 6" - This sunrise was photographed from a boat on Lake Tahoe. Taken at about the same time as the photo above, I zoomed out to the widest angle my 24-105 mm lens could go. I like this one a lot for the simple and abstract feel to it.
I've previously written a bit of a "how to" when it comes to photography from a small fishing boat on Tahoe. You can view the post here: Fishing and Photography on Lake Tahoe If you have any technical questions about the subject, please feel free to ask in the comments area below. Thank you!
-Scott Thompson
The images above are available at Fine Art Prints, Gift Items, and as Stock Photography. Please click on an image to view it larger and for purchasing info. All of the Scott Shot's Tahoe area photographs can be found in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee Areas gallery collection.
I love my Motorola Droid! AT&T has poor reception where I live in Tahoe so an iphone is out of the question, Verizon has the best as far as I've experienced. A few months ago, I stepped into the world of smart phones and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I feel that my Droid has been one of my greatest new additions to my camera bag, it has proven to be an incredible tool that has helped me get more great photos than I would have without it. My favorite Droid apps that I feel help make me a better photographer are (all free, just search the titles in the Droid app Market) :
Google Maps- I feel like I have a helicopter's view of what's around me when 4x4ing the Tahoe trails. "Oh, there's a small lake right over there I didn't know about and would have never seen from the trail!" I don't always get reception out there but I am often surprised at how often I do.
Maps (-) - This app lets you view and save maps when you do have reception, then you can bring up that map when you don't have reception. Bye bye paper maps.
Google Sky Map- You can judge where the sun and moon will rise long before they do. Great for picking out a location when shooting the sunrise or moonrise. I feel like I can look into the future.
GPS Status- You can tag your gps location and email a link to yourself containing the google maps location. Great for sharing location info on blogposts later. (see previous blogpost about the Tufas of Mono Lake)
MoonPhase- A widget that shows what phase the moon will be on every day for the next month. Great for planning full moon shoots.
SunMoon- Computes the rise and set times for the sun and moon based on your gps location. Another great tool for shooting the sunrise, moonrise, and sunset.
The Weather Channel app - 10 day, 36 hour, and hourly local and far away forecasts in my pocket. Many benefits to this one.
Camera- I like taking a picture of my real camera or a self portrait next to my real camera with nice scenery in the background and posting on Facebook while out in the field. I like to think it gets my "fans" and friends curious about what the final images I upload to my website will look like. (see photo below)
DroidLight- LED flashlight app. I've gone out on hikes thinking I'll be back before sunset. Then I decided to shoot the sunset. This one has helped me get back to my truck when I didn't plan ahead properly.
ScannerRadio- Police and Fire scanner. I actually don't use this one as the closest city on the app to me is Reno. But I see how it could be a great tool for photo journalists looking to be first on a scene.
SmartPark- You can tag the location of your car. This is great when 4x4ing way out there and then hiking way away from your vehicle.
Google Translate and aCurrency- Great while traveling. Know what you're saying and spending while shooting in far away lands.
So, my only complaint about the Droid is I can't find a model release app. Anybody out there know of one? The iphone has one...
Also, if you have any apps to add to the list, I'd love to hear about them, iphone or Android. Please leave a comment.
This last Sunday, May 2, 2010, I was driving back home from Mammoth Ski Resort and I realized that I had time to stop at Mono Lake and get some photos of the tufa towers. I had been wanting to shoot this area for years but I'm usually in a hurry when driving by. This weekend wasn't supposed to be a photo trip but I got lucky and made it one.
I fired up Google Maps on my Motorola Droid and I easily found the South Tufa area. Here's a link to the location I tagged with my Droid. (I plan on writing a post soon on how my Droid and it's great apps help make me a better photographer, stay tuned) For more information on visiting Mono Lake, please visit www.monolake.org
I had a great afternoon and evening running around like a kid in a candy store shooting the giant tufa towers. There are plenty of trails around the tufas, and there are signs posted to not climb on them or remove pieces. I saw why. There were about ten other photographers out there but I saw one of them try to climb up a tufa tower to get a better angle. I was thinking "that's lame" when all of a sudden a chunk the size of small ice chest broke off and came crashing down on the guy. He was obviously very embarrassed but he was proud he didn't get hurt or break his camera. I wasn't impressed.
When you follow the trail from the parking lot to the South Tufa beach area, you can go to the right at the beach and keep your shoes clean. But if you go to the left, expect to get your shoes muddy this time of year. I veered a little off the trail and stepped on what looked like solid ground but I broke through the thin dry crust and ended up past my ankle in green stinky mud. Oops.
I didn't have my big camera bag with all my gear, only my Canon 5D Mark II and a 24-105 L lens. I also had my graduated neutral density filter and I saw other photographers using theirs, but I opted not to use mine. The tufa towers break the horizon too much in my opinion to use it. I also didn't use my polarizer filter but I kind of wish I had when I shot the very green water, I would have liked to cut down on the glare a bit more. I occasionally used my flash to help fill in the shadow areas of the tufas with some light and also during late sunset when the tufas would have all been silhouettes without it.
I would highly recommend using a tripod out there. Most of my shots were at f22 in order to get the tufas in the foreground and background in focus. This made the exposures too long to handhold, especially at sunset. Bumping up my ISO would have helped but I prefer a low ISO when I'm planning on making large 30"x40" prints.
All in all, I was very happy with my Mono Lake photo experience. Easy access, no need for my 4x4. Very unusual and bizarre subject matter. The sunset was incredibly beautiful and seemed to last a very long time. My only complaint is that I didn't get to shoot a sunrise, good excuse to go back. Here are the photos from the shoot. What are your thoughts?
