Dierkes Lake Sunrise

Horizontal orientation. Canvas prints are available with optional barnwood or hardwood floating frames hand-crafted by the photographer, making a truly unique and one-of-a-kind piece of art. Please see images for details.

A successful image often involves timing and good luck. When my family first moved to the Magic Valley, we had just a few days to settle in before the school year began and had no time to become familiar with the area. The following summer was all about exploring the area for me and being a morning person, I spent a lot of time chasing sunrises. I took this shot the first time I explored Dierkes Lake in Twin Falls. The lake has a very popular swimming area, and during the day it is a bustling, noisy public park. However, I arrived well before sunrise when there was not a soul around, and just by luck I chose to hike counterclockwise around the lake. Good timing put me at the more isolated and calmer east end of the lake as the pre-sunrise colors were beginning to show. I found a trail down to the shoreline that brought me to the beautiful rocks in the image foreground. The water was like glass, and mirrored all the colors in the sky, as well as the shoreline reflection. It was just me and my camera and pure peace and quiet for the entire sunrise. Whenever the sky changed, I set up another shot to try to capture it. This image captured the most color that morning and is my favorite from this incredible morning.