Storm Light on Mono Lake Tufa Towers
Chasing the Light Beneath Eastern Sierra Storms
The Patience of Returning to the South Tufa Area
Of the numerous times I have been to Mono Lake, I’ve never seen a sky quite like this. That is precisely why going back to the same location time and time again makes sense for serious landscape photographers. You may not get anything new on every visit, but eventually, you hit the jackpot. On this trip, I was roaming around the South Tufa area during golden hour, watching to see if a bit of sunset light might break through the heavy overcast as the sun dipped over the eastern Sierra. The sky had a heavy, stormy look—and in my experience, bad weather is always a good omen because conditions can change quickly and dramatically.
The History of Mono Lake
Mono Lake itself is an ancient, hypersaline lake in Mono County, California, believed to have formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake. Because the lake has no natural outlet, salts and minerals accumulate heavily over time, making the water roughly two to three times saltier than the ocean. The striking tufa towers standing in the water are made of calcium carbonate. They formed underwater decades ago when freshwater springs rich in calcium bubbled up into lake water rich in carbonate. When water diversions began in 1941, lake levels dropped dramatically,exposing these unusual limestone spires to the open air.
Capturing the Storm Light with the OM-1
To capture the scene, I framed these jagged tufa pillars using my OM System OM-1 paired with an M.Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8 PRO lens at 115 mm.The dark, charcoal storm clouds rolling over the mountains provided a heavy backdrop, contrasting nicely with the warm light illuminating the textured limestone in the foreground. In post-processing with Adobe Lightroom, my goal was simply to balance the dynamic range between the bright tufa and the deep, moody sky without losing the natural mood of the scene. It’s moments like this that remind me why roaming the American West in my van with a camera is so rewarding—sometimes you just set up your tripod, let the weather do its thing, and enjoy the show.
Where the Trail Wanders On
Catching rare storm light over the ancient tufa towers at Mono Lake during golden hour. Read about the capture, gear choices, and local history.