Hot Creek Hatchery Road view of Mount Morrison

I photographed the featured image from Hot Creek Hatchery Road and faced south towards the mountian range. Head toward the Mammoth / Yosemite Airport approximately 10 miles south of Mammoth Lakes on Highway 395. Turn north on Hot Creek Hatchery Road and drive for approximately 0.5 miles, then make a right (it’s the second right) to stay on Hot Creek Hatchery Road and continue for 1.2 miles. Park in the dirt when the paved road makes a hard left (if it is a heavy snow year, this will be the end of the road). This is the spot and Mount Morrison is readily identifiable when looking back towards Highway 395.

The place does not always get a large amount of snow; the featured photo was taken during a heavy snow year. If you want a familiar shot as the featured photo, wait for a heavy, cold storm with snow levels below 7,000 feet. That would be your time to go! If there isn't a lot of snow, this is still a cool spot with sagebrush.

To catch the Alpenglow on Mount Morrison, you have to be set up just before sunrise. Stick around through the sunrise to make sure you get a shot with light you like!

I used a 24-70mm lens at 70mm for this photograph. I feel as if 70mm was the perfect focal length for the shot. Any less and there is just too much sky or foreground. Any more and you lose the scene in its entirety. Those are just my feelings, so you should certainly experiment and find something you like!

With the snow, this is a minimalist shot and the subtle tones of the early morning sky and bright oranges/pinks/reds on the peak with the Alpenglow really contrast well with the snow. Compose the shot to create a dichotomy between the two aspects.

There is a good chance there won't be as much snow as the featured shot. If that is the case, drop your aperture and get low and focus on Mount Morrison to create depth between the brush in the foreground and the mountain.

After creating the image you want, head into Mammoth Lakes for breakfast at The Breakfast Club or Good Life Cafe. Since it will be cold, you will want to get some lodging in Mammoth Lakes too. Plenty of options! If you ski or snowboard, make sure to check out Mammoth Mountain Ski Area!