Story Behind the Image - Glassy Lake in Yosemite National Park

This shot was taken just after sunset at Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park.  I was looking for a body of water in the park and drove out here close to sunset hoping to find a beautiful landscape.  I got here just in time and was pleased with what I encountered.  You can see how dark the line of trees are around the lake because there wasn't much light in that area.  The amount of light on the mountain and the lake stands out more, and also has a soft quality bringing out beautiful colors and reflections in the water.  The water in the lake was also very still, adding to the glassy quality and emphasizing the reflections of the landscape and the sky. 

This image was shot with a wide angle lens of 16mm.  I used an aperture of f/22 to create a large depth of field including the rocks in the foreground and the mountain in the background all in focus.  Due to the lack of light this image was taken with a shutter speed of 0.8 sec with an ISO of 200.  I really enjoy the composition and color of this image.  Its one of my favorites.

Thanks for reading,

Nichole Shanks

West Coast Fine Art