There is no doubt that Lake Tahoe is a terrific place to visit and photograph. It had been almost 20 years since I had been there, and back then I wasn't seriously shooting photos. The one thing I remembered was Emerald Bay on the southwest portion of the lake. The bay was created by a glacier that carved a canyon that became submerged by Lake Tahoe's waters over time. The bay's shape is quite apparent in this photo with it's small entrance from the main body of Lake Tahoe.
There are quite a number of vantage points to shoot Emerald Bay from, but my favorite spot was this one high above the bay. This view allows for a great view of the lake coupled with Fannette Island (the only one in Lake Tahoe). My research had indicated that the best time to shoot from this spot was at sunrise and it proved to be right. As the sun began to poke above the opposite shore, the foreground lit up wonderfully. I also decided to take advantage of the sun and create sun rays by shooting with a small aperture.