"Breakfast With Fannette"

Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe is the second most photographed natural landmark (behind Niagara Falls) in the United States, according to a tour guide we met at Lake Tahoe. So, you ask, what's a nonconformist like Mark Geistweite doing shooting such a well known icon of nature. You see, I generally stay away from the biggies, instead searching out the lesser known locations so I can claim them as my own. I also like the challenge of making less than ideal compositions appear photogenic. But my quest for "not the best" locations has possibly refined my eyes and maybe I can come up with something interesting, even at Emerald Bay. After all, who could pass on this Spectacle of Nature, this Jewel of the Sierra, this Jaw Dropping vista! The small island in the middle of the bay sets this apart from other bays. It is actually the only island in all of Lake Tahoe (22 miles long and 12 miles wide at 1,645 feet deep). How appropriate that the only island in all of Lake Tahoe would be in this picturesque inlet. That small island is called Fannette, hence the title. All it required to take this image was to wake at 3 am to feed my 3 month old son, put him back to sleep and then drive 20 miles to this spot and search out a favorable composition. Then I simply captured three separate exposures and blended them in Photoshop to render the entire range of tones (well, almost). Some may question my slightly off-center placement of the rising sun. I intentionally positioned it to rise just above Fannette, bringing attention to her true beauty. As well, I do believe the sky colors to be accurate, the slight cyan cast is due to the warm yellow sun mixing with the particulate in the blue sky. Thanks for looking and reading and any comments are welcome. Low ratings, however, are better used to sling at my lesser known location images. Thanks!

Thanks for taking time to offer comments and observations. Please view Larger!

Spectacular... a representative slice of what I can only imagine would be the ultimate morning scene, so peaceful... Thanks for sharing... Mike

 

 

Very beautiful. Perfect light! Great exposure

Beautiful Landscape photo. Very scenic view. well done. I also try not to go the the most visitied tourist sites where I live in Minnesota, but it is fun once and a while to see those popular spots to try to get a nice photo since they are such beautiful places. Great job. take care.

Funny....I've been to Niagara Falls at least 5 times in my life, yet I've never even heard of Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe. All I can say is....yes, some shots are so ubiquitous to the point of overkill, but I'm certainly not going to NOT take a picture of the popular landmark places when I go. And I'm glad you made that decision as well. This is a morning worth getting up for! And when I clicked on the large version, I really felt like I had stepped into the scene. Beautiful!

A "killer" shot...congrats. Mark

Very nice photo!

Thank you Mike, Douglas, Paul, Christal, Keith and Dr. Didi! Christal, I am not so certain that guide was correct, but he was extremely knowledgeable regarding Lake Tahoe. I would think Yosemite Valley, the Grand Tetons or the Grand Canyon would trump Emerald Bay, but it is obvious this place is worthy of being second.

Stunning! Beautiful capture of a beautiful place. I wish I had been there to see this!

 

Warm regards, Pamela

Thank you Pamela. Emerald Bay is a must see if you ever get out this way!

This beautiful scene is truly a jewel to behold. The lighting turned out super with the processing and the whole image grabs you. Congratulations, Mark. Regards!