Lake Panoramic

West Shore, Lake Tahoe, California

Camera: Hasselblad XPan

What makes it special: Perspective is everything.

The story:  "Lake Tahoe is my ultimate blue world. I describe its profound depth and range of color as "Tahoe Blue."

My favorite perspective is a 360-degree view from the center of the lake. Floating on a boat, looking down into the depths, gazing out at the mountains or staring up at the clear sky blue sky, this is Tahoe in its purest translation, a three-dimensional experience that grounds me and touches all who experience these waters. But, try capturing that emotion on film...

I tried and failed over and over again. The obvious first realization is that the experience of being on the lake is not the same as looking at it from the shore. The second is that cameras see the world monoscopically, a perspective which requires visual tools and cues to define depth. We see the world with stereoscopic vision, and looking at something from two vantage points is immensely more effective in translating depth and how the world feels in 3D. Specifically, I had to find a perspective to better balance lake and sky.

The solution eventually presented itself. One early spring morning I found myself firing away while strapped to a parasail being dragged by a boat in the middle of the lake. Suspended a thousand feet in the air, I dangled my feet and marveled at the incredible blue below me. The fresh air rushed by as I relished the odd quiet and how powerful and true Lake Tahoe felt at that moment. Then, I studied my inescapable tether as the crew pulled the lifeline and brought me back down and into the boat. I reloaded my camera and asked for another ride, this time with a twist.

I once again reached a magnificent perch high above the center of the lake, but this time I was mounted backwards, so there was no rope, no boat, nothing to interrupt the pure view of deep blue water and blue, blue sky."