I recently went to Tahoe with some friends. I shot along the southwest corner at Meeks Bay and the Meeks Bay Trail on one day. On the next day, we went to the Nevada side of the lake and shot at a few places, including Sand Harbor State and Chimney Beach.
I shot July 20th and 21st, right as a massive thunderstorm was rolling in. On the 21st, we got rained on, which has become a bit of a rarity in California. The clouds allowed me to get more even and soft light during the day, as well as adding a more interesting sky to my photos, instead of a boring, plain blue or orange sky. On this trip, I got one photo which I'm really happy with. The others weren't as great, but the trip as whole was relaxing, plus it was more to take some time away from home and soccer than to take photographs.
We took the first of our three days at the lake to relax at King's Beach, which was only about five minutes from the house that we had rented. After King's Beach, we shot pool in the house and spent our time doing nothing. After having 6 academy trainings in 5 days, I was ready for a little nothing.
July 20th- Meeks Trail and Lake Genevieve
On our second day, July 20th, everybody drove down from North Shore to Meek's Bay, which is just south of Sugar Pine Point State Park, and just north of Emerald Bay, which may be the most photographed part of the lake. No sunset or sunrise was really that spectacular, so I didn't miss much, and I avoided that crowds by not heading to Emerald Bay. I had never been to Meek's Bay, and while it was nice, it didn't have soft sand like King's Beach did. There is a trail just off the bay called the Meek's Bay Trail. The trail is part of the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail, and begin a couple hundred yards off the lake and extends just over 8 miles through the Desolation Wilderness to Rubicon Lake. I went on the hike with my mother, and since we started later in the day, and there were severe thunderstorm warnings, we only went the first 4.5 miles to Lake Genevieve. Our route and elevation gain can be seen on the left. For a larger topographical map, click here.
The hike was lovely, although the first mile was on a dirt road in full sun. Since there were thunderstorms rolling in, we did get a fair amount of cloud coverage, plus there a bit of a breeze, so the heat wasn't awful. The toughest part was the uphill hike on crumbling rock. There were three steeper sections of the hike, which proved themselves to be a little more difficult with the elevation.
It took us about two and half hours to make our way up, although we weren't really rushing (maybe we should have, with the oncoming storm!). The flat parts of the hike were beautiful with tall pines on either side, and wildflowers lined Meek's Creek as we followed it up the mountain. I was disappointed not to find a composition in all of it.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f3.5 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 100
As thunder began to crack in the distance, we finally reached the lake itself. I got very lucky that we arrived when we did, since the wind picked up within 5 minutes of us arriving, and I was lucky enough to capture this beautiful reflection of on the peaks behind the lake. This is my favorite image form the trip, and was one of my favorites to capture.
I also took a full panoramic shot of the lake, which turned out alright. You can see that the wind had already picked up by the time I took this. I would have been really great if I got sharp reflections for this pano, but I think it still captured some of the magic from the scene.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f3.5 | 1/1600 sec | ISO 100
We had to rush back since I got more severe thunderstorm warnings in a small spot of cellular service about 100 yards from the lake. It would have been lovely to rest at the lake and get some food, but neither of us cared to be struck by lightning or caught up in a forest fire, so we started down the mountain. The hike down was much easier, and there was no sun now with the storm clouds overhead. Once we got back to the car, we stopped for drinks and headed for the lodge to finally get off our feet.
Next time I'm in Tahoe, I'd love to come back and start hiking at six or seven in the morning, so we could make it the full 9 miles. I heard from other hikers that it was beautiful, plus some of my favorite pictures are the ones taken during a backcountry hike, away from everyone else.
July 21- Lake Tahoe Beaches on the Nevada Shore
The storms were still in town, and the clouds were still amazing. I found a number of locations on the Nevada shore of the lake I wanted to photograph. I knew that we probably couldn't make all five areas I had found, and we ended up going to two: Chimney Beach and Sand Harbor.
We began by driving around form North Shore to Chimney Beach, which got its name from the old chimney that still stands on beach. Unfortunately, there was already a group who had set up right in front of the chimney, so I wasn't able to include it in any of my compositions. I had an idea for a composition with the chimney, but I'd have to make the trip out there at night. I think it would be amazing to use the chimney the foreground, and get the top of it in the center of a star trail circle. Something for next time.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 55mm | f8 | 1/640 sec | ISO 100
I went climbing over some rocks and saw this tree standing all alone, and thought it would make an interesting composition. The light was a little harsh, and I didn't have any filters to help smooth out the water. The sun would have set set out o from to the left, which I think could make this a stunning image, exposing for the sky and leaving the tree dark. Somewhere I'd like to return to in different light.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 21mm | f8 | 1/640 sec | ISO 100
Maybe thirty minutes after I had taken the photo above, many more clouds had rolled in overhead, and the light softened and had an orange tint to it. Looking across the water, the sky was partially clear. The raw photo came out with a heavy orange tint, but I thought it looked good. With the softer light, more colorful sky, and calm water, it gave the look as if the photo was taken much earlier in the morning than it actually was.
We didn't spend too much time at the beach with the oncoming thunderstorm, and moved on to Sand Harbor. It is one of the, if not the, most popular beach on the Nevada side of the lake. We arrived about 11 am, and it was packed. There are two spits of land that perturbed into the lake. I walked out on the larger one to the south and shot north, since the storm clouds were more investing to the north.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100
I first captured this image, which I like a lot. It really shows off the massive dar clouds overhead. I did blend a number of images together to smooth out the water here. I wanted to make the rocks underneath visible. The light was still giving a very slight orange cast, which made these rocks a little more orange than normal. Probably my second favorite image from the trip.
I turned to my right saw this small bay. The water was a little choppy, but I was hoping that I could captures some interesting reflections from the trees on the lake and mountains behind them. That didn't turn out, however I like the image anyways. Not one of my favorites, but it does a decent job of showcasing the beach.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100
There was one final shot I was able to capture that turned out okay. Just out of frame to the left were these rocks in the middle of the lake. I tried this in both black and white and color, and I haven't decided which I prefer. I like the lack of clarity in the mountains in the B&W photo, since it removes it as a distraction. However the colored rocks under the water can only add to the photo if the photo is in color (obviously). So I'm undecided as to which I prefer.
Canon t2i | 18-55mm @ 18mm | f8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100
Tahoe left me with a lot to go back to. I'd really enjoy to do some more backcountry hiking or go backpacking for a day or two. However this was a trip more about taking a break, and I was lucky to get one good and a few decent images out of it. Hopefully there is snow this winter so I can go back and see it all covered in white, plus get some skiing time in. Anyways, I had a good time, and I'd love to go back again soon.
Updates
- I'm still working on my soccer compilation videos. The next season doesn't start for a while still, but I want to get something out before it starts. This video is looking to be a little shorter, but I only wanted to include by best saves and moments. Still not sure if I'm being too picky on the clips.
- I'll be at the Cal Poly ID camp the first week of August. It'll be my first camp, so I'm excited for that.
- Force Academy tryouts finished the day before I left for Tahoe, and I'll be the second keeper for the 16s this season. Looking forward to getting games with them.