Long exposure of Hamilton Lake at dusk with a bleached driftwood log in the foreground, Sequoia National Park.

Thirty Seconds

Hamilton Lakes, Sequoia National Park, California

I worked this one for an entire evening, waiting on cloud that would actually do something. The log was the reason to be there — bleached, half-sunk, pointing straight into the frame — so the tripod went into the water beside it and the 14mm went low. Thirty seconds at f/11 turned the surface to slate. The range between the bright sky and the shaded wood was well past what a single frame holds, so it is a blend of brackets.

Nikon Z 7_2 · NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S · 14mm · f/11 · 30s · ISO 31

July 15, 2026

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