f/1.7 • 1/2200s • 6.9mm • ISO 21
October 30, 2026
Through the Clearing Veil
A heavy ceiling, cool and gray,
Held morning back in quiet dread;
Till golden lances broke their way,
To warm the barren gravel bed.
The morning began under near-total overcast at the lake, looking very much like a washed-out effort. Lumi was sleepy and bewildered when we loaded up before first light, but once we hit the shoreline, she was all business—digging into cold sand, investigating the dried mud flats, and trotting along the exposed cobble. Just before 8:00 AM, the cloud deck cracked, sending shafts of amber light down across the low water.
Field Notes: Captured on the Google Pixel 10 Pro at Great Sacandaga Lake from the Hudson River Black River field office. Main feature image of the morning crepuscular rays, accompanied by a study beneath the shoreline sugar maple and a wide sweep of the exposed basin.