It is a fairly consistent occurrence in this area that a cold front comes through around the end of May or the first of June, often dashing many folks’ Memorial Day and gardening plans. I have come to refer to this event as the “Junuary” cold front. In 2020, the front was running a bit late and actually waited until the first week of June. By the time this cold snap invariably arrives, there have usually been numerous warm spring days at Antelope Lake. The lake is a fairly modest 1,000-acre impoundment that, while nearly 100 feet deep at the dam, has large areas that are only 20–40 feet deep with much even shallower. This means that it doesn’t take many warm spring days for the surface of the lake to warm up into the 60s Fahrenheit. When a blast of freezing air comes in and hits that warm water, it can lead to some foggy mornings on the water that can be absolutely magical for the landscape photographer. Such was the case when I arrived at this spot during the morning blue hour in early June as the waning “Strawberry” moon was setting and reflecting on the water along with clouds from the weakening cold front and the aforementioned fog. The whole scene was one I was absolutely compelled to venture out into the chilly air and photograph.
In addition to being one of my own personal favorites, this image has received some awards and accolades including:
- Honorable Mention, Landscape Category – Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020
- Grand Prize in the California Trout Photo Contest 2023
(https://caltrout.org/photocontest/2023-winners) - 2nd Place in the Kolarivision Life in Another Light Photo Contest 2024, Visible Light Landscape Category
(https://kolarivision.com/life-in-another-light-infrared-photography-contest-winners-2024)
Exposure/Gear Info:
Canon 6D Mark II
Canon 24–105 f/4L
32mm – ISO 100 – 2 exposures blended: 0.3 seconds for the foreground and 0.1 second for the sky
Post-production in Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop
Prints available here.