Lake Rocks, Arching Horizon

I found these small rocks in the shallows of an enormous salt lake, still catching the last of the strong desert sun. With moments of daylight to spare, I composed this open landscape, setting the three shallow rocks against a swooping distant shoreline.

The curve of the land unsettles the traditional composition and adds a slight surreal feeling to the scene. The clearing storm is not as dark here as in previous photos of the lake, but the mood is similar – forlorn, brooding, and very alone, as though the far shore had been a lost destination.

Terri and I camped not far from this lake. Waking the next morning, we found that over a foot of snow had covered our tent, making the landscape seem hundreds of miles from the desert moonscape where we had made our bed the night before.