Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area Idaho
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Little Redfish Lake Sawtooth Mountains

Little Redfish Lake Sawtooth Mountains Idaho

Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area IdahoSunrise over Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho  #56173  Purchase

Another great spot for photography in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho is Redfish Lake and Little Redfish Lake. While both lakes have spectacular views Little Redfish is smaller, and offers better intimate compositions than its bigger neighbor.

After my success at having good light at Stanley Lake several days before I didn’t think that luck would strike twice in the same trip, but it did. The first evening I scoured the lakeshore for good compositions. I found the best spot was one that obviously was used by photographers in the past. You can always tell by the small patch of ground  worn bare and hardened. The light was nice and I got a few good shots. However evening light puts the range mostly in shade. Morning promised to be a better time for photos, if the light was good.

As always I got up before sunrise and set up in my spot and waited. Like several days prior at Stanley Lake fog threatening to obscure the view. The stillness of the air meant the surface of the lake was mirror still, and I kept my fingers crossed. Also the sky was cloudy and it didn’t look like the sun would break through. Luck was with me though, and as you can see from these photos the fog held off and the clouds began to clear. Perfect timing, as the first predawn light began paint the sky with purples and reds.

The clouds and atmosphere that morning were just right to keep the light and colors going long after the sun had risen. As the light began to wash out the fog came back and closed off any views until the heat of the day burned it off. I packed up  and decided to check out the bigger Redfish Lake, there the fog was also thick but there was a couple of surprises for me which I’ll save for the next post.

Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area IdahoSunrise over Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho  #56184  Purchase

Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area IdahoSunrise over Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho  #56196  Purchase

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Stanley Lake Sawtooth Mountains Idaho

Stanley Lake Sawtooth Mountains Idaho

Stanley Lake, Sawtooth Mountains, IdahoFull moon over Stanley Lake and McGown Peak, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho #55933  Purchase

Last month when I was photographing in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho one of my main goals was to come back with some exceptional images of Stanley Lake. This lake is on the northern end of the Sawtooth Mountains. With McGown Peak in the background, it is one of the more classic scenes in an area overflowing with photo great opportunities. On this trip I was lucky enough to get not one but two instances of exceptional light.

My first day in the area found me photographing a couple of meadows. They were filled with wildflowers about a mile up the trail from the lake. While at these meadows an evening storm began to clear. Just in time to fill the sky with fabulous tones of yellow orange red and finally purples and pinks. I felt lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to photograph the wildflowers and McGown Peak. But at the same time I knew that the view from the lake must have been awesome too. Unfortunately the lake was too far away to include it in the same evening session.

While back at my camp that evening I was a bit disappointed to see the night filled with stars. That meant the morning would most likely be an empty blue sky, not the conditions I had hoped for. I awoke before daybreak to check out the lake anyway and as I expected there was not a cloud in the sky, but the lake was mirror still and a full moon was drifting down from the sky to the right of McGown Peak. As I was setting up my camera as if by magic fog banks began to form over the lake, thinking rats now I wouldn’t even get this basic photo. But the fog started to spread into wisps and concentrate in areas that would enhance the composition.

After the sun began to wash out most of the color in the mountains the fog rolled back in and completely obliterated the seven for the next hour or so. The first photo below is the result. I ended up with about a half dozen variations, with of course a few verticals included for possible cover placements. A very satisfying mornings works.

Stanley Lake, Sawtooth Mountains, IdahoSunset over Stanley Lake and McGown Peak, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho #56121  Purchase

After having more good light and photo sessions in other nearby areas, I was  ready to move on to Redfish Lake, another great location. The sky was hazy all day with threats of approaching showers. It didn’t look like there would be anything worthwhile to photograph in the evening. However, at the last minute I had a hunch to head back to Stanley Lake, since it was so close. The showers never appeared and the haze began to thin out into streamers of high clouds. Those condition were perfect for catching colorful rays of light, even after the sun had set.

All I had to do was set up in the same spot as before and hope and wait for the sky to start glowing. I wasn’t disappointed. I had plenty of time to make me great images, even after the sunset. The second photo in this post is from that evening. As with the evening in the meadows several days earlier I noticed in the opposite direction some incredible cloud formations. They were glowing in orange and reds. As if taunting me to pack up my camera gear and drive like mad to chase the light just down the road. However, I knew that would be a futile effort. The light was fading and there wouldn’t be enough time to get to a suitable location.

I just stood there and enjoyed the sounds of the Loons  and remaining light.

Mount Robson Canadian Rockies
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Mount Robson Canadian Rockies

Mount Robson Canadian Rockies

   Mount Robson Canadian Rockies British ColumbiaMount Robson Canadian Rockies British Columbia #54613 Purchase

Here is another image from last September’s trip to Mount Robson in the Canadian Rockies, since this image has garnered an exceptionally favorable response on social media I felt that I should fill in a little background on how it was made. This was my third trip to Mount Robson Provincial Park and I had high hopes of getting some stunning images of the mountain. I had allocated five days to fulfill my goal. However, by the third day I was becoming frustrated by the lack of interesting light. The weather was spectacular, warm with blue skies. But while great for outdoor activities it didn’t possess the kind of light I had hoped for. Finally on the third morning clouds from an approaching storm arrived just as the sun was coming up. Perfect timing and conditions to illuminate the sky and mountains in a warm glow. Just what I wanted!

Mount Robson sunrise Canadian Rockies British ColumbiaMount Robson Canadian Rockies British Columbia #54615 Purchase

The images above were some of the first made as the sky warmed with a reddish magenta glow. I had thoroughly investigated this spot the day before to see where and how the best compositions lined up. I knew there were many possibilities for both horizontal and vertical images. So I mentally took note on which were the best and planned the shoot accordingly if the light cooperated. This plan paid off the next morning as I knew there would be a limited amount of time before the light began to fade.

By the time I had finished working this area the light was still going strong. About a half mile east along this basin there was another spot I planned on photographing in the evening or next morning. With the approaching weather I had a feeling there might not be another opportunity like this one. So I gathered up my equipment and ran along the basin as fast I could, and hastily set up my tripod. By this time most of the warm dawn glow had faded but the light was still intense on the clouds. The third image in this post  is one of the last from that morning. The post processing was nothing more than adjusting levels and curves with some burning and dodging. I like to keep things on that end as simple and strait forward as possible.

Mount Robson Canadian Rockies British Columbia Mount Robson Canadian Rockies British Columbia #54646   Purchase

Mount Robson Canadian Rockies British ColumbiaMount Robson Canadian Rockies British Columbia #54651r   Purchase