Three times, I drove to the Jackson Lake Lodge and hiked the Lunch Tree Hill trail behind the lodge in hopes of capturing a nice panoramic photograph of Jackson Lake and the Willow Flats in front of the Grand Teton mountain range. The first time, I got so caught up in shooting at Oxbow Bend that I didn't catch the magic light for the panoramic. The following morning, I arrived at 5:15 am, hiked to the vantage point and patiently waited for nearly two hours in the rain--although I did capture one photograph when the sun lit the mountains for about five minutes.

For the third morning, the weather forecast was for clear skies with a zero percent chance of precipitation. Although I was hoping for some clouds to add drama to the sky, I was relieved that at least I could expect to get a sharp image in the early morning light. As I approached the lodge, I became alarmed to see that although the skies were clear, a thick fog made it impossible to see the lake or the mountains! I assumed that the fog would eventually lift--and prepared to wait it out.

Quite some time passed and the fog wasn't going anywhere. So, I started shooting photos of trees in the early morning fog. Although I didn't get the pictures that I intended, I walked away with some photos that I liked just as much, or more. This happened on several occasions during the trip. I refer to these situations as "take what they give you."

Trees in fog On that third morning, I finally left the scene after over two hours--and the fog never did lift.