We decided to go to Southern Oregon for a long weekend.

We almost did not go because of all the fires in California, Oregon and Washington. The sky is filled with smoke, you can smell it and the particles in the air make everything look like it is smothered in fog. Photographing vistas and the local scenery is almost impossible due to the haze.

However, we went anyway as some rain was predicted and besides, who does not like going out on an adventure!

This shot is taken on the Eastern side of Crater Lake, the beautiful lake formed by a huge volcanic eruption that took place some 7500 years ago. The event must have been massive, if you stand along side the lake today and imagine in your mind’s eye where the original volcano must have been, it is mind-boggling, it must have been so massive.

So back to the Eastern shores of the lake. You cannot “just go down”, the edges are quite steep, a real “bowl” with a steep rim all around the lake. The lake is famous for its blue color and clarity. This is because there are no rivers that flow into the lake so there is no sediment that can cloudy up the water. The water comes from rain and snow melt. It is the deepest fresh water lake in the US.

About this shot. I feel I “broke” some basic composition rules (or guidelines if you wish) by centering the tree right in the middle of the shot. However, I feel it “works” for this shot and the sky was just magnificent, presumably because of the smoke.