Night Photography in the Eastern Sierras

It is hard to pick a favorite place to be at night in the Sierras because there are so many great places. Lake Sabrina ranks very hight on my list for a number of reasons. One, its elevation is very high at just over 9,100 ft which helps with reducing the atmosphere between the camera and the stars. It is also a very scenic spot, both in the daytime and at night. In the middle of the drought the water level was very low which made a shot like this one impossible. But during wet years it is a joy to shoot. It is also very scenic in the daytime, especially first thing in the morning. And finally, it is easy to get to being just 18 miles on highway 168 out of Bishop.

Another easily accessible night location is Tioga Lake located along highway 120 just past the top of Tioga Pass when heading west. The only problem with this location are the cars that keep coming on the highway to the left of this scene. A little patience and you will get some nice shots between cars.

Not quite as available as the previous two sites, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains, east of Bishop. Take highway 395 South to Big Pine, then highway 168 to White Mountain Road which will take you to the Schulman Grove and visitor center. Trail lead out of the parking lot. The Bristlecone in the image above is in the Schulman Grove and is often cited as Methuselah, the second oldest tree in the world at 4855 years old. I'm not convinced this is methuselah, but it is a gorgeous specimen of a Bristlecone. If you go here at night be prepared for company as it is a popular photography location.

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