Landscapes: Mono Lake

A photography challenge caught my attention this weekend and I wanted to find my unique perspective to the challenge. Having spent a few minutes earlier this weekend thinking about whether it’s possible to revisit a place or whether every visit is new and unique and therefore a “re”visit isn’t possible, I figured every landscape photo is unique in the same way even if several people take a photo of the same landscape.

In 2015 I took a road trip that allowed me to stop at Mono Lake, a lake that I have seen many times looking out of an airplane window while flying back to San Jose, CA (where I lived at the time). Shortly before arriving at Mono Lake we noticed a huge fire cloud nearby.

Tufa towers at Mono Lake
Tufa towers at Mono Lake

The fire, of course, changed the air quality and gave the landscape an eerie reddish color. My first reaction was one of disappointment. All photos that I have seen of Mono Lake thus far were of a beautiful calm lake where tufa towers magically reflected on the lake surface with clear blue skies. I wanted that picture!

Now, a few years later, I treasure my experience at Mono Lake as it was. I love that I have seen these magical tufa towers in an eerie light that made them seem more precious and look even more delicate. The hazy light gave the lake a mystical atmosphere that was unique to my visit and I doubt I will ever be able to recapture this experience in a future visit.

Mono Lake
Mono Lake

Thank you, nature, for always changing and making every memory and every photo one of a kind.

This post was inspired by the Lens Artists Photo Challenge #31 – Landscapes.

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