Why did I get up at 3am and drive an hour and a half to Mt. Lassen, and hike up toward the peak? To get this photograph. Well, I didn't go to get this particular photograph, but I did go hoping to capture something similar.
Last year when I was hiking up this same trail, I noticed that there were Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels and Chipmunks living up there. That's when I got the idea to hike up before the sun rose and try to capture a critter in the morning glow. I finally made that trip happen and this is one of the shots I got with that glow.
This was the only series of shots I was able to capture with this color in the sky because it was very cloudy, as you will be able to see in my upcoming video (subscribe to YouTube). The sun peaked above the earth every so slightly and then dipped behind some clouds. There was a very brief moment where the sun shined again and produced the light that you see in the photograph. Luckily this Nutcracker flew in just in time for me to snap a series of photos before it jumped down, out of sight.
BAM☺︎
