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Water / Oregon, USA

Crater Lake

A blue lake held inside a volcanic caldera, fed by rain and snow.

Blue water surrounded by the caldera rim at Crater Lake in Oregon.
Oregon, USAPhoto: NPS staff

Crater Lake occupies the caldera of Mount Mazama. Rain and snow supply the lake; rivers and streams do not flow into it. Its water and volcanic rim make a striking meeting of stillness and geologic change.

Keep the frame simple: water, sky, rock, and the outline of a tree. There is plenty to follow without adding anything to the scene.

Landscape background: NPS: Crater Lake questions and answers NPS: The formation of Crater Lake

A few things to notice

  • The boundary between the blue water and the caldera walls.
  • Cloud shapes repeated in the surface of the lake.
  • The foreground trees that give the distance its scale.

What is the difference between seeing a color and understanding why it is there?