There are many hidden treasures in Oregon. One of them is Scott Lake near McKenzie Pass west of the little town of Sisters. You can get great photos here of the Three Sisters Mountains across this beautiful little body of water. In the evening the sun hits the mountains just right.
There are walk-in camping sites right on the lake, so this time we decided to stay there and see what photos we can get in the early morning. It gets cold here, even in the summer, so it is a good idea to bring a warm sleeping bag if you want to camp here. After a cozy night, we got up right before sunrise. There was a bit of frost on the ground and a fine mist was rising from the lake water. Ideal conditions for nature photographers. The sky was clear and I knew we were in for a treat. The sun would be coming from the front left, so I asked my wife to position herself in the front of our yellow tent and have her look towards the sun.
When the first rays of the sun appeared over the tree line, I took my photo. My aperture was f13 and the shutter speed was 1/30s, just enough to have the sun rays show a bit of a star. Since the tent and my wife were getting illuminated by the light, I could add the Sisters into the composition without having too much contrast. We shot several more images that morning. Nature sometimes keeps giving. There are many photos to be had up near Scott Lake and around McKenzie Pass. We do outings to the area and some of our photographers teach workshops up there. It is one of my favorite areas to shoot in late summer and early fall.
Editor’s Note: “Capturing Oregon” brings you the stories of Oregon photographers as they traverse the state to capture its beauty. To see more of Christian’s photography, visit www.ccophoto.com.
