Mono Lake Moody Sunrise
Camera
Hasselblad X2D 100C
Lens
Hasselblad XCD 80mm f/1.9
Exposure
2m 55s @ f/11
Filters
Breakthrough Photography X4 ND
Print Sizes
10”x10”
20”x20”
28”x28” (max. size @300dpi)
Peizography Prints
Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta (Gloss)
Canson Infinity Rag Photographique II (Matte)
Giclée Prints
Canson Baryta Prestige II
Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta
Inquire About Prints
Silence Before Light: Mono Lake at a Moody Sunrise
In the earliest moments of morning, Mono Lake reveals itself not through color, but through restraint. This moody sunrise exists in a narrow band of time when light is present but undecided, hovering just above the horizon without spectacle. The result is an image defined by quiet tonal relationships and an atmosphere of profound stillness.
The tufa formations emerge as dark, sculptural forms, rising from the lake with a sense of permanence that feels almost monastic. Their surfaces—pitted, eroded, and irregular—stand in gentle opposition to the lake’s smooth, glass-like surface. The long exposure softens the water into a reflective plane, stretching the tufas downward and dissolving their edges, as if time itself were briefly suspended.
Negative space dominates the composition. The pale sky and calm water nearly merge, creating a minimal visual field that emphasizes balance and isolation. Distant mountain ranges recede into faint tonal layers, adding depth without disrupting the image’s meditative calm. Nothing competes for attention; everything feels deliberately quiet.
This photograph is less concerned with place than with presence. It invites the viewer to slow down, to notice subtle gradations of light and texture, and to experience Mono Lake as a contemplative space shaped by geology, time, and silence. It is an image that does not announce itself, but rewards prolonged looking.