Desolation Wilderness Photography

A fun family and photo adventure into Tahoe's incredible Desolation Wilderness.

"Tree at Lake Aloha 2" - This tree was photographed at
Lake Aloha in the Tahoe Desolation Wilderness.

Last week, I made a last minute decision to join some good friends on a 4 day and 3 night backpacking trip in Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness. We decided to go from Echo Lakes to Emerald Bay via the Pacific Crest Trail and other trails. My 11 year old son went with us so I had a lot to pack. With my backpack weighing in at over 50 pounds, I actually considered not brining my camera to spare my back. Boy am I glad I decided to ditch some of the trail mix and bring the Canon 5D MarkII.

My son Kane and I backpacking Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness.

I only brought the one body, a 24-105L lens, and a 580 flash. I don't have a carbon fiber tripod so I decided not to bring my heavy one. Although I missed having the tripod, I still pulled off some nice photos. Many of the photos that I shot were during quick stops along the trail so I wouldn't have really had time to set up a tripod anyway. For carrying my gear, I was able to remove the shoulder strap on my trusty old LowePro Topload Zoom AW camera bag and attach it to my backpack shoulder straps with 2 caribiners. It worked out very well for accessing the camera quickly without having to remove the backpack. 

If you ever get the chance to visit the Tahoe Desolation Wilderness, I highly recommend toughing out the extra weight of a good camera. There are an incredible amount of lakes to shoot in the Desolation Wilderness backcountry, I saw Echo Lakes, Lake Aloha, Heather Lake, Susie Lake, Half Moon Lake, Dicks Lake, and Eagle Lake.  You'll also find incredible granite formations and mountains, beautiful trees and wildflowers, wildlife, and more.  Here's some of the images I was able to get: 

Echo Lakes, at the start of our journey.  We "cheated" and took the water taxi across the lake so we could make it to Lake Aloha before dark.

Lake Aloha at Sunset, the first lake we spent the night at. In my opinion, this was the most photogenic of  all of the beautiful lakes. I want to go back for more photos here...

Heather Lake, a spot along our trip that we cooled off in with a quick swim. 

Gilmore Lake, the second lake we spent the night at.   The mosquito swarms here were probably the worst I had ever seen. 

Dicks Lake, we were going to stay here for the night but decided to continue on to Eagle Lake.

Desolation Wilderness vista view, an incredible spot where we were able to see much of the area we had traveld through.   A sliver view of Lake Aloha can be seen in the top center. 

Eagle Lake, the last lake we spent the night at. It was a short hike out to Emerald Bay in the morning.  We saw plenty of day hikers here as it is not too far of a hike from the road.

Below is a slideshow of even more Desolation Wilderness photos with some fun family snapshots mixed in. Get out there and enjoy it for yourself! (More info on visiting Desolation Wilderness HERE.)

-Scott Thompson

Desolation Wilderness Blog Images - Images by Scott Thompson

Most of the Desolation Wilderness images above (the ones without people) are available as large fine art prints, gift items, and to license, download, and use as stock photography. Click on an individual image for more information. 

A BIG THANK YOU to Todd Bromley of Class V Electric and the Bromley family for getting us out there!

Scott Shots Prints, now available at the Vista Gallery in Tahoe Vista!

I have BIG NEWS to share. My Tahoe area Scott Shots Photography prints are now available at the Vista Gallery in Tahoe Vista! 

The Vista Gallery is a great gallery owned by Tony Spiker of Spiker Photography and his wife Melissa who does a great job running the gallery's social media presence. It has an incredible view of Lake Tahoe, but your eyes will likely be checking out the wonderful art. The artwork in the gallery includes Tahoe area photography from many local photographers, incredible paintings, sculptures, and more. They also have a full service frame shop in the gallery! 

The frame shop is a great because I sell unframed prints there and on my website. The Vista Gallery has a huge selection of moulding and mats and they do quality work. You can find elegant expensive frames there or economical yet nice frames that compete on price with the bulk frame shops in the cities. 

Also, soon... my work will be available for renting or "rent to own" at the Vista Gallery. This is perfect for Real Estate agents or interior decorators that stage homes, businesses or hotels that need large amounts of art but don't want to pay for it all at once, or fine art buyers that want to try out the art on their wall for a while before committing to buy. 

Please stop by the gallery and check out my work and the other art there the next time you're in Tahoe Vista. You won't be disappointed!

-Scott Thompson

Vista Gallery information:

website:    www.VistaGallery.com

adress:      7081 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe Vista, California, 96148

phone:      (530) 546-7794

facebook: www.Facebook.com/VistaGallery

twitter:     www.Twitter.com/Vista_Gallery

Photos from the Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley, 2012

"Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley 23" - Photograph of a skier crossing
a pond during the Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley, USA.

This past weekend brought an end to the 2011/2012 ski season at Squaw Valley USA. My son skis and I snowboard there almost every Sunday in the winter. It's one of the reasons we moved to the Tahoe area. 

This closing weekend was also the famous Cushing Classic pond crossing. An event where skiers and snowboards dress in silly costumes and attempt to ski across Lake Cushing (it's more of a pond than lake). 

I was there with my friends and family and wasn't planning on working, but I brought my camera just in case. We ended up getting a great spot to sit, thanks to my wife, so I got the camera out of the bag. I'm glad I did, as I got a ton of fun and funny photos of a very entertaining event. 

Below is a slideshow of the Cushing Classic. If it looks like fun, be sure to check it out next spring!

-Scott Thompson

Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley, 2012 - Images by Scott Thompson

The images above are available as prints or to license as editorial photography. Click on an image for more info. 

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.