Pic of the Week 3/4/22

“Beaver Lodge Sunset/Sunrise”

Location: Bonham State Park, TX

Date taken: 2/20/22

Realtors know and beavers both know it! When it comes to building a home its location, location, location! And what better place to set up and raise some beaver pups than a beautiful lakeside lodge. While out exploring the trails at Bonham state park, Ashlee and I found this beaver lodge near the shore. We had some hopes we would see Mr. and Mrs. Beaver hanging around, but they never really showed up for us. We did some more exploring, but I couldn’t find anything that would work for sunset. So, I decided to return to the beaver lodge and see if I could squeeze out a shot. Although the sky was empty, several rounds of black vultures intersected my composition and added a little bit for detail to an otherwise boring sky. I was able to find a composition that interested me. The leaflitter and grass floating on the surface of the lake created a triangular leading line out to the lodge. The backlight glow on the leaflitter really helped separate it from the darker water adding more depth to the scene. I waited until the sun had set below the horizon and the last gleam of light stretched out over the sky. Given the circumstances, I think this shot came out quite nice. But maybe I would get better conditions tomorrow morning for sunrise?

The next morning, we woke up early with the promise of some high clouds off to our west. High clouds generally produce more colorful sunrises/sunsets. This wispy cirrus clouds danced overhead in the soft twilight of morning. We gathered our gear and made our way back down to the beaver’s lodge. This time we found Mr. and Mrs. Beaver enjoying a morning swim around the lake. They spotted us pretty quickly and one of them slapped their tail on the water to warn the others of the human “threat”. We apologized for our encroachment and assured them we would leave as soon as the light got too harsh. I found again my composition and framed up my shot earnestly waiting for the first color of sunrise to arrive. A layer of cloud was blocking the sun near the horizon, but it did allow some sun rays to strike only the highest portions of the sky. Thankfully, the lake was still calm and would capture a nice reflection of the sunrise. For a few moments the sky burst with pinks and purples perfectly mirrored in the glass-like reflection of the lake. Though the color did not last long, I was able to get a few captures during the climax. Soon after, the sun broke above the cloud layer and warm front light began flooding the scene. That was our cue to bid adieu to the Beaver family and return to the trail searching out more subjects to photograph. Which of these two photos do you enjoy more?