Fall Morning at Dierkes Lake

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.

This east end of Dierkes Lake is a favorite of mine for reflections. In fact, I have even heard people call it “Reflection Lake” because it so often is calm at this end. Each season of the year looks very different from this perspective, but the fall season is spectacular! The rich golden yellow blooms of rabbit brush adorn the rocks, and the reeds along the lake edge that were recently bright green turn golden brown. Temperatures had dropped for the year quite dramatically by late October, and it was nearly freezing and still quite dark at 6:45 am when this 30-second exposure was taken. However, the warm golds and yellows don't indicate this at all in the image. The shimmering reflection of the cliffs on the lake continues the theme of blends of gold and brown, creating a warm and inviting scene despite the cold. I posted the image online, and one commenter replied, “Sell that!” This was at a time when I was considering making frames and selling at vendor events, so I sent this one to the lab to be printed on metal. When it arrived, my wife turned it around a few times before she could decide which direction was up!