It’s seems to me that as landscape photographers the desire is to shoot during the two times in the day when the light is a bit more forgiving. These times occur during sunrise and sunset and are often referred to the “golden hour”. Direct sunlight is much less forgiving but I love some of the images I am able to get during midday. This shot of Mono Lake is one of them.

This is how most people will remember their visit to Mono Lake and there are a number of interesting aspects to the image. On the left, a Osprey lands on its nest atop part of the famous shipwreck tufa that is one of the main attractions to the lake. If you look closely in the foreground water you will see a number of specks. These are brine flies that mass along the shore line in millions and are a food source for the many migratory birds that visit the coastline. In the distance, the lake creates thunderheads that pour water down on the very dry desert landscape though it seldom reaches the ground before evaporating.