Last week we took a quick trip to Big Bear Lake with Minhsang, Minhan’s youngest sister. Growing up, I traveled a lot, and I want to pass this on to Booker and have him experience different towns and environments as well. He was really happy during the trip and didn’t seem to mind the cold at all. In fact, when he experienced snow for the first time, he smiled so much and wanted to touch everything!
I took this first shot at the Castle Rock trail head. Unfortunately, the trail was slick with ice and we didn’t think it was safe to hike it with Booker, but we will come back during late spring and try again! Shooting in snow is difficult because the bright whiteness of the snow can throw off exposure times and white balance. So I shot exposing to the right, and in post-processing I darkened the image and reduced the highlights to even out the tones to what I remember.
Big Bear Lake
Since we couldn’t hike Castle Rock Trail, we spent more time at the lake. The volume of the lake varies during the year, and when we went it had 22mi of shoreline and was about 60ft deep at a brisk 32°F. When we arrived, Booker was hungry so Minhan fed him a bottle while looking out over the lake. How could I not capture this moment?
For the next image, I wanted to keep the shoreline in view with a bit of foliage in the foreground. I like how you can see the road on the right, and following the shoreline back and to the right reveals part of Big Bear Lake Village with snow in the background.
And here is a zoomed-in shot of some cabins along the lake:
Along the lake, different species of birds swam near the shore. I saw a flock of mallard ducks and wanted to grab a photo. The duck in the left liked to swim on his own. What I like about this shot is the juxtaposition of that duck with the duck in the background on the right with the flapping wings. I shot this at f/2.8 to only have the duck in the foreground in focus.
Big Bear Lake Village
I’m a huge Hallmark Channel fan. I love the cheesiness of the movies, and love the small-town vibe I get. Big Bear Lake Village encompasses that vibe. Since it’s the holiday season, the village lights up at night. I think the pine trees are actually permanent fixtures in the city! As we walked around, we were encapsulated by the charm of the village. There are a lot of small locally-owned shops and restaurants. Also, not having to fight or pay for parking, unlike here in Orange County, is a huge plus. Anyway, I tried to capture the holiday lights, but with a wind advisory in full effect, it was hard to capture since the trees were moving so much. I tried spot metering for the highlights to make sure I really could capture the lights on display.
This next tree towered over us at probably around 15-20 feet!
Big Bear Lake at Sunrise
In the morning, we decided to walk out on the lake to catch the sunrise. Since our AirBnB was only a couple of blocks away, we had to take advantage of this opportunity. It was so quiet and peaceful. Also, the lake was finally calm, as you can see with the reflections in the water. I kept the snow and shoreline on the right to give the shot a wintry feel.
As the sun started to rise, the morning golden hour became so beautiful against the mountains. Again, I played around with the metering a bit to get it just right to do minimal post-processing.
And here is a zoomed-in image. I wanted to keep the two ducks in the lower left in the shot because they were swimming around playing with each other for a bit. I also think that having them there adds a lot to the mood of the image. Overall, it was a great trip! I can’t wait to go back!
A Bit of History of Big Bear
Around 2,500 years go, the Serrano Native Americans arrived in what they called Yahaviat (meaning “Pine Place”) . They were expert basket weavers and pottery makers who used the land for hunting and gathering. They also revered grizzly bears and never ate their meat nor wore their fur.
The Yahaviat Valley had its name changed to Big Bear around 1845 when Benjamin Wilson, one of the first non-Hispanic land grantees who was also an early law enforcement officer, rode into the area with a group of people looking for outlaws who raided their ranches down in Riverside. When they arrived, they instead found the area teeming with grizzly bears! And that’s how Big Bear got its current name. Fun Fact: “Big Bear Lake” actually doesn’t refer to the current Big Bear Lake, which didn’t exist at the time. It refers to the nearby Baldwin Lake, which is a few miles from Big Bear Lake.
Around 1860, a prospector named Bill Holcomb discovered gold in the area now known as Caribou Creek, which led to the founding of the Bear Valley Mining District and increased the population of the area to a whopping ~2,000 people. Since then, it hasn’t grown too much, and the current population hovers between 5,000-6,000 people. Talk about a small town! I love that about Big Bear.
As always, comments, questions, and feedback are welcome below!