Carrizo Soda Lake Reflections
Following the exceptionally wet 2004–05 rainy season, broad areas of standing water remained across the normally dry saline basins of Carrizo Plain. In this panorama, yellow wildflowers spread across the foreground while the shallow waters of Soda Lake hold a subdued reflection of the distant Temblor Range. Beyond the lake, the range rises on the North American Plate side of the San Andreas Fault, which follows the eastern edge of the Carrizo Plain and forms part of the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates.
The photograph was made late in the afternoon, shortly before sunset. Around the standing water, tiny shore flies associated with the saline lake were everywhere, working into eyes, ears and nose and becoming a particular problem when changing film or one of the Fuji GX617’s large lenses. Opening the camera chamber required extra care because the insects could easily get inside before the lens or film was secured again. As the sun lowered, the shallow water held a subdued reflection of the Temblor Range beyond the lake.