On the second day of my three-day backpacking trip to Elfin Lakes in the backcountry of Garibaldi Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, I had just finished an excellent sunrise when I started hiking back to camp. I decided to take a detour around the backside of Lower Elfin Lake, and I was so glad I did. The reflections of Mt. Garibaldi in the lake were spectacular as the early morning light hit it.
I dropped my pack and quickly set up my tripod, eager not to miss that reflection. I set the aperture to f/20 for maximum depth of field and took a few shots. However, the lighting was unbalanced, so I added a 2-stop split neutral density filter and took another shot. The results were excellent. I adjusted the white balance to 5800K and made slight changes to my composition.
Then, suddenly, fog began swirling around the scene. It was magical, and I couldn’t resist clicking the shutter as the fog transformed the view. The Elfin Lakes Hiker Shelter started to catch the morning light, creating an amazing atmosphere. Soon after, the scene became completely obscured, but I had already captured my shot.
I packed up my gear and continued my way back to camp for some breakfast, replaying the beautiful scene in my mind. This ended up being my favorite shot of the day. I was so happy that I decided to take the longer detour back to camp!
