Lenticular Sunset & Inversion Panorama, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

After many years of photographing Lake Tahoe, I have come to a point where it can be difficult to click the shutter. I don’t want to capture the same image, or a “nice” image. With my art I strive toward compositions that move me. Well, this scene did it! As I drove toward the Lake with the intention of doing the expected, going to the East Shore and looking west for sunset, I noticed the immense lenticular cloud formation hovering over the east side of the lake. I knew I had to take a chance on the last rays of light painting that incredible cloud formation. I chose to go west to Emerald Bay and face directly east.

I arrived an hour early and positioned myself for the right composition. I just had to wait for the light. Along with the amazing cloud formation above, Lake Tahoe was experiencing a temperature inversion. The clouds dropped from the sky, and settled into the Lake Tahoe Basin and Emerald Bay. As I waited for the light, the clouds danced below, like waves washing from left to right. Just the rim of the mountains surrounding the lake and the bay rose above. These were the most unique atmospheric conditions I’ve experienced at Emerald Bay in 35 years of being here! As I waited and observed, I set up two cameras. My 4x5 inch film camera, as well as my Nikon DSLR. While I rarely shoot my digital camera for landscapes, I chose to create a high resolution panorama by overlapping 5 vertical frames. This enabled me to accentuate both the panoramic shape of the composition I was envisioning, and the extraordinary grandeur of the lenticular cloud. I was also able to include enough of the sea of clouds below, without filling the composition with too much empty space. The 2:1 ratio for this panorama is perfect. The scene, amazing! Lake Tahoe never disappoints.

This is “The Fine Art of Nature”.