An incredibly blue and beautiful lake morning from the beginning of November 2016. This particular morning, lacked the winds Chicago is characteristically known for. As a result, it provided the ideal conditions for these wispy, light and almost translucent clouds. The clouds sit in the sky, some white, some darker in color. But each cloud is incredibly delicate. Disappearing and appearing again slowly, transitioning from one material form to another. On a beautiful lake morning like this, I feel terribly lucky to be able to spend it photographing this landscape for the Lake Series.
In addition these very still days help to create barely rippling, mirror-like lake waters that reflect the sky back onto itself. The shifting gradients of the horizon revealing a gentle rose hue on this beautiful lake morning. Frequently, it is these warm tones along the horizon that provide the balance to the piercing blues that come every so often to this landscape. Here we can see how the water barely is rolling towards shore, the lack of wind essential to get these still and gently balanced mornings.
Slowing Down to Appreciate a Beautiful Lake Morning
In 2016 I was already a year into the Lake Series. I had begun to see the rough contours of this project. I was able to recognize patterns in weather, now able to predict how the lake might appear following a storm. And yet, with days like this, arriving to discover a beautiful lake morning, not quite like the others that came before it. And it’s that endless ability to surprise, to question my assumptions, that make the lake such a wonderful subject to continue to return to. Serial investigations allow us to understand a subject, potentially, with an incredible amount of subtlety and nuance. But in order for that to happen, we must pay close attention. Here on my instagram, is another photo from a beautiful blue day.