Christmas Valley Blizzard Panorama, Lake Tahoe

Christmas Valley Blizzard Panorama, was taken in January 2017, just up the pass from my home (literally a 3 minute drive from home). I had visited this grouping of trees several times and knew I wanted to compose a soft image of them using the the far side of the canyon to add depth. I waited for a heavy snow, which was easy given our record winter (200% of normal snowfall), and headed out the door. As the sun dropped behind the mountains, I was able to get a nice even light with minimal contrast for the mood I had envisioned. I chose the panoramic format to eliminate sky, further minimize contrast, and simplify the focus on the trees. Given the low light, slow speed film and small aperture required for focus, I ended up with a 2 minute long exposure. This eliminated the ability to see individual falling snowflakes, added a bit of detail to the trees and maintained that soft "foggy" look of the background, as a lot of snow was falling. With the background softened, the three foreground trees stand out, showing off a delicate elegance that can be lost in the chaos of the forest.

Enjoy the View!

Jon Paul