I visited the Eastern Sierra about a month ago, during the Oak Fire which devistated yet another area around Yosemite. It was a long planned trip with a friend so we went anyway knowing smoke could be a problem. It was. The opportunities to photograph the Sierra Crest were limited because of haze and at times smoke pouring over the crest. And clouds were limited. Except over Mono Lake, God’s gift to us photographers. Mono lake sits at the bottom of the drive down Tioga pass (almost 10,000 feet) at 6,383 feet. The combination of the air moving westward over the Sierra Crest and the moisture in the air from the lake often creates amazing cloud patterns. You never know what color the sky will be: often magenta, but also orange, pink, and /or red.
Gorgeous colors and interesting texture/shapes in the clouds. Nice transition from the textured foreground to the hazy hills in the background. And I like the color contrast between the sky and the land. Near the right edge about halfway vertically there is something that looks out of place, not quite sure how to describe it, almost like a smudge. Easy to clone out I imagine.
Funnny, I just saw this on your website the other day! Mono Lake is indeed a special place. And even though it’s been many years since I’ve actually gone down to South Tufa - the lake and the whole area is still a draw and I place I visit every time. This looks like it was taken from the overlook at the Deli/Exxon there at the bottom of 120. (irrelevent…)
I didn’t notice the dust/smudge onthe right until it was pointed out. Looks like it might have been a flock of birds, blurred by the logner exposure. Easily fixed.
No nits or suggestions otherwise. Wonderful viewpoint and capture of Mono Lake and the glorious skies that frequent the Eastern Sierra. Sadly, the smoke makes for some beautiful color and great photo opportunities.
Let me preface my comments by saying that I have never been to Mono Lake, but I have lived in/under wildfire smoke for a significant amount of time due to wildfires in northern Colorado a couple of years ago. I think you’ve done an amazing job at capturing the colors created by the smoke making it look beautiful, but not eerily so. When I view your image, I find that my eye is drawn immediately to the brightest parts of the clouds in the UL quadrant. They look a little “hot” to me. I wonder if the light in the overall image would be more balanced if you soften the brightest areas in the clouds. And if you add a bit more light and a tiny bit of saturation to the water, I think that might help pull my eye down to the lower half of the image to keep it moving around the frame. All in all, I think it’s a great capture of the unique conditions you experienced.
I agree with @Lon_Overacker about this looing like it was shot from the gas station and the Wow Nellie Deli. Some of the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten.
I digress. I love the gradation of colors in the sky from magenta near the bottom to an orange band around the middle transitioning to peaches and oranges and yellows near the top. I do find some of the yellows to be just a bit too much for my taste and they also immediately grab my eye and I find it difficult to make it back down to the lake and the foreground. So, I agree with @thedigitaljeanie about softening those colors as well as the luminance of them to make this more balanced. Other than that little quibble, I love Mono Lake and find it impossible not to shoot there whenever I’m in the Mammoth/Yosemite area and this image is as nice as any I’ve seen from this location. Just terrific.
Mono Lake is indeed a special place. And even though it’s been many years since I’ve actually gone down to South Tufa - the lake and the whole area is still a draw and I place I visit every time. This looks like it was taken from the overlook at the Deli/Exxon there at the bottom of 120. (irrelevent…)