While in Mono, you do things the Mono way; ie, you wake up at 4 in the morning, drive the few long straight miles under pitch-black conditions and find your way to the lake shore, then spend a few more minutes delicately traversing the fallen remains of the tufa towers to get to the few choice sunrise spots while praying they are not taken, set up you tripod and pray that the waters of the vast salt-lake around you stay still, shiver and tremble in the freezing cold at 6000ft, and take a deep breath as the sun crests the peaks on the horizon while your finger presses the shutter. And then you repeat this all over again for sunset. And for the next sunrise and so on.
Such is the life of a photographer who visits the Eastern Sierras of California. I was fortunate enough to witness one such beautiful sunrise at the Mono Lake South Tufa Reserve during an early summer trip to the Sierra Nevada. A silhouetted reflection of the 'temple' formation there highlights the beauty of a rare calm sunrise.
Mono Lake South Tufa Reserve
CA USA