A fresh look at a salty world in the American West...

Moving through the dusty, gravel-strewn road, we soon arrived at our destination, the saline aquifer, Mono Lake. After years of photographing this place and its other worldly calcified towers, I was looking for something new and unique that would give a fresh perspective to the place. I've been a little pushed to find something new to shoot other than its expanse of Tufa towers, grasses and bird life.

Mono Lake Spider

I think I've photographed this lake from every conceivable angle you could imagine, but if you’re a neophyte to this place, it can be quite stunning, especially as you move closer to the water’s edge. The buzz of the swarming mud flies, migratory birds and the towers of calcium are beautiful and out of the ordinary, but once you have photographed them a few times, you'll most likely be wanting for at least an interesting sky to set off the scenery, maybe something more.

A great sky is a happenstance of luck almost anytime you are out to photograph a landscape. It always becomes a great equalizer to all photographers. You must be able to react to it when one presents itself.

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at Mono Lake. I had made my plans to be as close to the water as possible at first light. It’s that magic hour, the five to ten minutes of good light needed for an amazing capture. I really hate the mad dash and stumble in the predawn darkness. We were lucky to be able to position our four-wheel drive camper close to the water’s edge. It was in an area that was open to dispersed camping. So much of the area is restricted and managed by the Forest Service. They do a fine job of allowing the public to view this natural wonderland, but limit access to other parts of the lake unless your willing to explore the more remote parts on your own.

We spent the afternoon relaxing after our long drive to this place. I had my sites set, for early morning. I wasn't too concerned about the dusky evening skies preferring the crisp mornings as a rule. After a good snooze, I set about scouting a location.

I spent a good hour or so walking along the shore, trying not to repeat any “classic” Mono compositions. As I walked east along the shoreline, the ground turned into a black rotting acrid mud. My boots sunk deep into it. It smelled of rotting eggs. At about that time I noticed a small swarm of very little birds. One was perching itself on a near shore tower of calcified stone. He Landed briefly, and then flew off, only to repeat the same behavior over and over. This gave me ample time to set my tripod. I really wasn't thinking of doing much shooting but I couldn't pass this one up. In this early afternoon display, the bird fell into position. I was able to find good footing in the muck for my tripod and I got the shot, "Mono Lake Rest".

Mono Lake Rest

I had been out for quite a some time a great distance from our camped location. This part of the shore was covered with a mix of gravel, and a large amount of dead, sun bleached exposed roots of plants that died from the extreme salt content of the lake.

Not finding anything unique, I began my hike back to camp. Soon the late afternoon sky fell to an unexpected warm red hue. While I walked along a gravely part of the beach, I noticed a single towering Tufa formation in the distance to the right. A little further to the left, the snow capped Sierra Crest was looming. The light was fading quickly as the colors deepened.
I franticly searched for a composition. I looked down the saline beach a few yards and noticed a small tidal pool with a clump of rock resting as an island. The red, pinkish sky was reflecting in the stillness of it’s waters. "One Reflection" was the result.

Morning came with a dark cloudless sky. It was 4:30am. I fumbled for my headlamp in the darkness trying not to disturb Holly's sleep. I headed into the darkness. The small waves of Mono Lake, lapping at the shore were reminiscent of a tropical location. I remembered the roots from the evening before. I hiked myself to a prominent one that had a strange life to it. I had noticed it the day before. Its arching branches reminded me of a spider moving across an alien landscape. I positioned my tripod for an extreme low angel shot. I attempted to bring its life like features strongly into the foreground and brought the Tufa towers in the distance into focus, guarding the way to the Snow capped Sierra Crest in the background. Just as the rising sun warmed a golden glow cast, I clicked the image known as the "Mono lake Spider". 

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Best Always,

Mark