Going Places

It is not unusual to find me standing in some wild place in complete darkness. Once again, on this morning I was doing that exact thing.

I scouted this area the day before and knew that there were several photographic opportunities here. Clear skies were predicted so I knew that the chances for a good sunrise were not too favorable, but I arrived extra early so that I could safely navigate in the darkness and get setup just in case.

It is difficult at best to work out good compositions in the dark, so I took a few high ISO test shots to help work out this composition. Now all I had to do was drink coffee and wait for some good light. Not such a bad gig!

A few sips into my wait, from behind me I heard the faint rattle of an approaching vehicle on the two-lane highway that traverses this part of the Eastern Sierra. I quickly checked my exposure while watching out of the corner of my eye. Just as the vehicle entered the frame, I released the shutter. As I watched the vehicle travel through my scene I wondered where they were going at such an early hour. Fishing? Work? Or maybe it's another photographer racing to get into position before the good light arrives.

This is a 30-second exposure. I was pleased with the length of the vehicle’s light trail as well as the faint illumination of the roadside foliage. I also like the slight amount of detail on the mountainsides and peaks. Having some visible stars in the sky and reflected in the lake put the icing on the cake. All-in-all I am pleased with this result.

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