Clarity & Fog, Lake Tahoe

The winter of 2016/2017 was one for the record books. Lake Tahoe received upwards of 200% of the average snowfall for the season. At one point the region received 20 feet of snow in 20 days. We also had a day that offered up an inversion effect, basically filling the Lake Tahoe basin with cloud. Below the cloud was a winter wonderland covered in snow and cloaked in fog. As a large format film photographer, I took advantage of these surreal conditions, composing some of the most unique, yet iconic fine art landscapes I have produced in the region. I am quite sure they are also the only images of their kind captured on 8x10 inch sheets of film. I have created historic images of a quality rarely seen today.

“Clarity & Fog, Lake Tahoe” has a dreamlike quality. A calm exists here, at this moment in time, that I envision for my art, but is seldom find in nature. The rare atmospheric conditions created a stillness that seamed to wrap the beauty of Lake Tahoe’s grandeur up in a blanket and present it to me. The monotone snow and cloud gently surrounded the rich color of Tahoe’s crystal clear waters, granite boulders and pines. The scale of this place is immense, but this scene creates an intimate feel. This idyllic cove was all that existed, with just our imaginations left to contemplate what beauty lies beyond the blanket mist. Truly “The Fine Art of Nature”!