Downtown Truckee, California - A Great Spot for Photography

"Snowy Sierra Tavern 1" - This snow scene of the Sierra Tavern and Commercial Row was
photographed in historic Downtown Truckee, CA.

Historic Downtown Truckee in the Tahoe area of California is a great spot for photography, but it is often skipped by photographers visiting Tahoe who head for the big lake instead. Downtown Truckee is about a 15-20 minute drive from Lake Tahoe and can provide many styles of photos in a small, walkable area.

"Snowy Truckee River 1" - This foggy and snowy scene of the 
Truckee River was photographed from the bridge near
West River St. in Downtown Truckee, CA.

"Downtown Truckee Tracks 2"- These railroad tracks were
photographed in Downtown Truckee, in the early morning.

Commercial Row in Downtown Truckee has a great deal of history to it, here's a link to a walking map that points out historic locations. I'm not a historian but you can find many great stories about Truckee's history at TruckeeHistory.org/history. Many of the buildings in Truckee have an old western feel to them and are very photogenic. Truckee has recently improved it's sidewalks and walking around for photos is very easy, even after snow storms.

Commercial Row in Downtown Truckee.

Brickelltown wagon in Downtown Truckee.

  

There are some great vantage points above Downtown Truckee that can give you nice photos of the town. The hillside by the Cottonwood Restaurant provides a great view of historic Commercial Row, especially in the fall. Truckee has a good deal of Cottonwood trees along the Truckee River and aspens scattered throughout town that can turn a brilliant yellow or orange color. The Rocking Stone can provide a nice view above the opposite side of town.

Photographed from the Rocking Stone.

"Downtown Truckee in the Fall 2"

  

Downtown Truckee can also provide you with photos of an old diner and a classic Flying A gas station replica that is now a clothing store. The Christmas Holiday season is a great time to visit as most of Downtown Truckee gets decorated in twinkling Christmas lights. You might even get lucky and photograph a snow covered Christmas tree or snowy candy cane if the weather cooperates. Trains in Downtown Truckee are a regular sighting and are often stopped or going slow, perfect for photography. If you happen to take a helicopter or airplane ride for some Truckee aerial photography, the downtown area can be very photogenic by air as well.

So the next time you visit Lake Tahoe for photography, be sure to take a little trip into Truckee, you wont be disappointed. And if the lighting happens to not be that great, stop into one of our many restaurants or bars where you can get "motivated" and wait for the lighting to improve...

Please enjoy this slide show below of even more Downtown Truckee photography (and the surrounding area). If you have any questions about the location of a photo or how it was shot, don't hesitate  to ask in the comments section below. Thank you.

-Scott Thompson

Downtown Truckee, CA Gallery - Images by Scott Thompson

All the images above are available as large fine art prints, gift items, and to license, download, and use as stock photography. Click on an image for a larger view and purchasing information. 

Please visit Art Obsessions art gallery when you visit Downtown Truckee, where you can view and purchase Scott Thompson's prints of Downtown Truckee and the Tahoe area. 

Great and Easy Location for Lake Tahoe Photos - HWY 431, Mount Rose Highway

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.)

-Scott Thompson

Photos from the 431 Mount Rose Highway - Images by Scott Thompson

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.  

New Memorial Point, Lake Tahoe Photos

This morning I woke up at 3:45 am and drove to Memorial Point on the North East shore of Lake Tahoe. Memorial Point is a great place to photograph boulders. There is plenty of easy free parking and there are stairs and trails down to the lake from the parking lot. Getting to the lake in the dark to set up for a sunrise shot is not a problem as long as you have a flashlight. 

I knew the full moon would be setting in the West right around sunrise so it was a good opportunity for some interesting photos. Unfortunately the moon set behind the mountains and clouds right before the sky turned pink but I'm still fortunate to have captured some pretty cool moments at the lake:

"Full Moon over Lake Tahoe 7" - These snow covered boulders and full moon were photographed in the early morning near Memorial Point, Lake Tahoe. 

"Tahoe Boulders at Sunrise 17"- These boulders were photographed at sunrise near Memorial Point, Lake Tahoe.

Here's a slide show with a few more photos from this morning's Lake Tahoe shoot. Click the full screen icon for the best viewing experience:

Memorial Point, Lake Tahoe - Images by Scott Thompson

The photos above are all available as large and small fine art prints, gift items, and to license and use as stock photography right now. Click on an image for more info.

Frozen Prosser Reservoir Photos

This winter has been a very interesting one for the weather up here in Truckee / Tahoe, California. Actually, it might be more "uninteresting". We have had very little snow compared to usual years. I was hoping to have many more new snow scene photos by now but so far, it's been all about shooting ice. 

Prosser Creek Reservoir is a little lake near my house that usually freezes over in the winter. It usually has a very short ice skating season, if any,  because the snow usually covers the ice pretty quickly. With very little snow at the ski resorts and no snow at most of the frozen small lakes, many locals have been enjoying an incredible ice skating season up here. I've been taking advantage of the ice by getting some pretty cool photos of it.

Here's a couple I got of ice skaters and mountain bikers on the Ice. Yes, mountain bikers. They came right off a trail and enjoyed an unusual experience for the area:

"Ice Skaters and Bikers on Prosser Reservoir 1" - These ice skaters and mountain bikers were photographed on a frozen Prosser Reservoir, Truckee.

"Mountain Bikers on Prosser Reservoir" - These mountain bikers were photographed riding on ice at Prosser Reservoir, Truckee.

And here's a couple beauties I'm proud of. Thank you Mother Nature for working with me:

"Rock on Prosser Reservoir Sunset" - Sunset photograph of a rock sitting on top of an icy frozen Prosser Reservoir in Truckee, CA.

"Frozen Prosser Reservoir Sunset 4" - A colorful sunset photograph of an icy frozen over Prosser Reservoir in Truckee, CA.

Please enjoy this slide show below of all the icy frozen over Prosser Creek Reservoir photos that I've got this year, so far...  Most of the images are available as large fine art prints, photo gift items, and to license, download and use as stock photography. Click on an individual image to see a larger version, and click "buy photo" for purchasing options. 

Thank you and enjoy!

-Scott Thompson

Frozen Prosser Reservoir - Images by Scott Thompson