Photos of Art Obsessions art gallery

Did you miss it? My exhibit at Art Obsessions art gallery a couple weeks ago was a lot of fun. I had many of my large 40"x60" canvas prints up and I thought the Jordan, the gallery director, did a great job with the hanging and presentation. So good that I decided to take a few photos of the exhibit and the rest of Art Obsessions.

I've sold my large photography prints out of Art Obsessions for a few years now. Art Obsessions used to be located on Commercial Row in Downtown Truckee but a while back they moved into the old Star Hotel building on West River Street. My big exhibit may not be in the "featured artist" area of the gallery any more but I still have many large prints available there year round. So please stop by and check it out in person, but in the meantime:

(click play and then the full screen icon for the best viewing experience)

-Scott Thompson

My 10 Best Tahoe Photos of 2014

For the last few years, photographer Jim Goldstein has challenged other photographers to blog about their top photos of the year. He posts links to the blog posts of participating photographers on his blog (Click Here for his blog). It's a fun project I look forward to every year, where I get to reminisce about my adventures. 

2014 was another great year for beautiful scenes in the Tahoe area. Really, I don't think Tahoe has ever had an un-photogenic year. Below are my favorite ten Tahoe photos of the year. I hope you enjoy them!

-Scott Thompson

1)  Perhaps my favorite photo I shot this year. The sky above Donner Lake just exploded with color that evening. 

"Donner Lake Sunset 21" - Photograph of a colorful sunset above Donner Lake in Truckee, California.

2)  Just another beautiful sunset at Donner Lake. Yes, the sky really was that color.

"Kayak on Donner Lake Sunset" - Photograph of a kayaker fishing on Donner Lake at sunset, shot from the East end of Donner. 

3)  Truckee, California sure does look good in white. Photographed from the hillside near Cottonwood Restaurant.

"Downtown Truckee 14" - Photograph of a snowy Downtown Truckee in the morning.

4)  You can't go wrong with a classic view of the Truckee River in Downtown Truckee, California. However some mornings are more photogenic than others. 

"Snowy Truckee River 3" - Photograph of a snowy Truckee River shot in Downtown Truckee, California.

5)  I drove all over town this spring day, looking for the perfect snow covered flower. It turned out my favorite was a daffodil in my front yard. 

"Snowy Daffodil 1" - This snow covered Daffodil or Narcissus flower was photographed in Truckee, California in the spring.

6)  I shoot this shack just about every year in the Fall. This year, I decided to use my tilt-shift lens to do something different. The tilt-shift is how the soft focus effect is achieved. 

"Shack in the Aspens 7" - This old shack and yellow aspen trees were photographed in the Fall near Brockway Summit in Tahoe. 

7)  Finally! I've been trying to get a good bear shot for years. I finally got a cool shot of a black bear eating a Kokanee Salmon. 

"Black Bear at Taylor Creek 1" - This brown colored black bear was photographed with a Kokanee Salmon in it's mouth at Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe.

8)  This amazing sunset above Lake Tahoe was shot on a fun evening shooting with my friend Tony Spiker of www.SpikerPhotography.com 

"Sunset at Lake Tahoe 30" - Photograph of a orange and yellow sunset at Lake Tahoe, shot from near the fire lookout above Crystal Bay.

9)  Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe has been providing photographers with some unique opportunities this year. Visitors have been creating tons of cairns, or rock piles, giving the shoreline a fun look. Mix that with a beautiful sunset and magic happens.

"Cairn at Lake Tahoe 1" - This cairn or man made stack of rocks, was photographed at sunset in Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe.

10)  The grand finale of this years top ten Tahoe photos, a fireworks show above Donner Lake in Truckee, California. Bonus, my wife and son were with me for this one. 

"Fireworks at Donner Lake" - This fireworks display at the West end of Donner Lake was photographed from a mountainside on July 4th.

The photos above are all available to purchase as fine art prints. Click on an image for more details. Digital downloads, and photo gift items are also available. 

"Tahoe" the book

I am excited to announce my second book! "Tahoe" is a collection of some of my best Tahoe area photography. It is about 150 pages filled with beautiful images of Lake Tahoe, historic Truckee, and the surrounding lakes, meadows, forests, and more. A full preview of the book is available below. Click the full screen icon for the best viewing experience. 

The book's price is $154.95. It is an 11"x13" image wrap hardcover book with images that are printed on a lustre finish premium paper.

If you would like to order the book, please click the shopping cart icon in the preview below or click here: Tahoe book.

Also, all of the images in the book are available to order as large fine art prints, printed by me personally. They can be ordered through my website ScottShotsPhoto.com,  from Art Obsessions in Downtown Truckee or from the Vista Gallery in Kings Beach. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the book at info@scottshotsphoto.com. Thank you!

-Scott Thompson

Tahoe by Scott Thompson - Scott Shots Photography | Make Your Own Book

Scott Thompson with his new book "Tahoe"

My Best Tahoe Photos of 2013

It's that time of year again. A time to look back at my adventures and photos of 2013 and pick my best. Here are my top ten photos of 2013, in no particular order. 

A big thank you to photographer Jim Goldstein, who asks photographers every year to submit their top photos of the year. His request has inspired me to post my top ten for the last few years (2012,  2011, 2010) When he lists everybody's best shots in his blog post, I'll update and post a link here: ____ (Update - Best Photos of 2013 by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers link)

Just another incredible moment at Lake Tahoe. I loved the soft pastel purple light, the boulders, and the moon in this one. Also, I got to shoot it with my good friend Tony Spiker of Spiker Photography. You can check out a 30"x40" print of this one at Tony's Vista Gallery in Kings Beach.

"Full Moon Over Lake Tahoe 12" -These boulders, full moon, and alpenglow sunset were photographed at Crystal Point in Crystal Bay, Lake Tahoe.

I've shot this old shack many times. And on occasion, when the first snow falls and the aspen still have their yellow leaves, I drive up to the spot and shoot it before the snow melts. The visit this year provided for some great photos. 

"Shack in the Aspens 4" - Photograph of yellow leaved aspens and an old shack near the summit of Hwy 267 in Tahoe. Shot in the fall while it was snowing.

An incredible sunset that seemed to last forever. Lots of fun to shoot this one.

"Blackwood Canyon Sunset 1" - Photograph taken in Tahoe's Blackwood Canyon of a pine tree and mountain silhouette with a beautiful fiery orange and yellow sunset background.

The golden pebbles and blue Tahoe waters and sky went so nicely together in this shot. This one looks great in print. 

"Pebbles at Whale Beach 3" - These pebbles were photographed along the shore of Whale Beach on the East shore of Lake Tahoe. Whale Rock can be seen in the distance.

A personal favorite. A print of this is pinned on my wall above my computer monitor. I often catch myself looking at it, daydreaming of sitting in the stick shelter's shade on a hot day with a cold drink in my hand...

"Stick Shelter at Lake Tahoe" - This little shelter made of driftwood and sticks was photographed at Whale Beach on the East shore of Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe's blue, aqua, emerald, and green waters are incredible. Secret Cove is a great place to capture the colors. Oh, and a 30"x40" print of this one is currently available at Art Obsessions in Downtown Truckee. I think it looks pretty nice. 

"Secret Cove, Lake Tahoe" - Photograph of a sailboat at Secret Cove on the East shore of Lake Tahoe.

It's hard to go wrong with Lake Tahoe aerial photography. This abstract shot shows the progressions of colors as the water gets deeper. Pretty cool. 

"Lake Tahoe Aerial 5" - Aerial photograph of Lake Tahoe shot from a helicopter with the door removed.

Anther Lake Tahoe abstract aerial. The Upper Truckee Marsh and blue waters made for a really fun and unique Tahoe photo. 

"Upper Truckee Marsh and Tahoe 1" - This abstract like photo of the Upper Truckee Marsh, shoreline, and Lake Tahoe was photographed from a helicopter.

I had been wanting this shot for years and finally got it. Tony Spiker and I hiked up a steep mountain across from Squaw Valley Ski Resort to get this and the hike was worth it (he got a great shot as well). 

"Squaw Valley Torchlight Parade 1" - Long exposure photograph of the torchlight parade at Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Multiple skiers hold torches at they ski down the mountain.

Thanks to apps like Golden Pic and Google Sky Maps, I was able to "predict" this moon rising in the perfect location over Downtown Truckee at sunset. Truckee is always beautiful but this time of year can be magical with all of the Christmas lights (and sometimes snow). 

"Moon Over Truckee 1" - Photograph of a moon rising over Truckee at sunset. An alpenglow sunset and Christmas lights compliment the moon.

There you have it, my top ten photos of 2013. Please click on individual photos for larger views and purchasing information. Available as large fine art prints, photo gift items, and as stock photography. 

Cheers to a great 2014!

-Scott Thompson