Night Lights by Gary Randall   /  Photo 1 of 8

Everything that was happening at Trillium tonight came together to create a different kind of night shot from there. The clouds were whizzing by in front of the mountain concealing it at times and showing it at others. The lights from the village of Government Camp were illuminating them to the left side and Timberline Lodge was lighting up the center. The clouds were low enough that they allowed the stars to be broadcast and smeared across the sky above the scene. The lake surface would get slight wind chop which didn't give a reflection so much as a subdued blurred foreground, almost a bokeh effect that is like a satin sheet that the scene is sitting on. As the shot was exposing I lightly painted the rocks in the foreground with my head lamp just enough to keep them from being silhouettes. The bushes and trees on the right even caught some of the light giving them definition. The trip to the lake was an afterthought really as I had changed my mind twice about going up. Now I'm glad that I did. I feel so peaceful while I'm there at the lake waiting for the camera to do its job. This is a single 15 minute exposure. Have a great weekend. :)