I've told this story before: One reason that many of my images have a consistent look is that they are basically all taken at the same time of day, inside a window of time which lasts for 3 or 4 minutes. This window opens twice a day, once around sunrise and once after sunset. This means that I need to be ready to go when the time arrives.
To prepare for this, I will usually arrive an hour before the window opens and will spend time scoping out potential compositions until I have two or three candidates that I will try to capture when the window opens. Then I will work quickly within that 3 or 4 minutes to get a few variations so I have some flexibility in editing later on.
The good news about imaging Lake Tahoe is that the shore is usually dotted with boulders that make the composition a lot more interesting. The bad news is that teetering on and around half-submerged boulders an hour before sunrise is a known hazard to both camera equipment and owner.
I am happy to report that no equipment was harmed in the making of this image, although I can't say that my legs fared as well. Luckily, the leg scrapes will heal, and in a few months I'll just be left with the memory of being the only person who saw the sun rise over this vista this day.
Coming up tomorrow: Creme soda in the trees.