My restless ‘bug’ had infected me again (July 2020). Decided to hit the road to the north of the city to see if I could capture either a spectacular storm, sunset or wildlife. All were possibilities.

There had been ‘scattered thunderstorms’ all around us. The sky had a mega chinook arch – unusual for July, but was clear over the mountains – that bodes well for sunsets. I stumbled upon Nier Lakes a few years ago on a backroad drive home from a photography gig. Took me ages to figure out where exactly it was (because I never think to pin a location until I’m well past it!) Turns out it’s only half an hour from home, so a pretty, and easy after dinner drive.

I parked between the two sides of the lake and patiently waited. The chinook arch was dense and grey, not permitting much light to permeate. To the east, massive black walls of thunderheads prevailed. The rushes lining the ponds were laden with Red Wing Blackbirds, adults and juveniles. The sound was deafening. Mosquitoes invaded the slightest crack of the window. And the sun seemed to take forever to peek out from under the arch.

I was nearly ready to give up and drive on when all of a sudden the ponds lit up. To the west came ‘on golden pond’ with a mist rising from the waters – the temp had dropped to a chilly 6C. To the east, the blue black thunderclouds lit up along with the lush green hills. The songs of the blackbirds seemed to intensify. The ‘gronk’ of Yellow Headed blackbirds traveled across the valley. And the light danced across the lens.  That’s how After The Storm came to be.

FOR MORE INFO…

All my images are available for purchase. This one is on the Fine Art page of my website, (along with ‘On Golden Pond’).

Leave a Reply