A Horsetail Fall Sunset To Remember
My friends Don, Mark and Jeff decided to make a trip out from the East Coast to shoot Yosemite and to shoot the Horsetail Fall this year. I had warned them that they might not get "optimal" color if they came out on Presdident's Day weekend as it was so early this year. But it turned out to be the only time they could come, so they came out hoping for the best. Tom and I picked up Mark at LAX and the three of us drove to Yosemite to meet the others. Having shot the Horsetail for the past six years or so, my hopes were not very high as it was just too early. We were also bummed that the warm weather had pretty much obliterated the snow on the valley floor.
Friday night turned out to be a bit of a bust, but Saturday evening was a completely different story. We had hiked to Mirror Lake and Vernal Falls and were on our way to the South Side view of the Fall (we decided that the North side was usually "meh") when we got caught in a traffic jam of biblical proportions. It took us over an hour to drive from Curry Village to Yosemite Lodge, and it was now after 5 PM. All of the good spots had to be gone by now, and none of us was was feeling too enthusiastic as we poked our way past the Lodge.
But all of that changed as we came around the last corner and Horsetail Fall came into view. We were probably at least a mile from the El Cap Picnic area but people were already pulling over and just jumping out of their cars. I had never seen the Fall looking like this before. The heavy snowfall above and the warm, Springlike weather combined to create the best Horsetail conditions I had ever seen. The sun was catching the mist of the falls, blowing high in the air in all directions. In most years, you would notice the glow on the rocks as there would usually not be much water to speak of, but this year, the falls were flowing and the mist was just spectacular. It wasn't just photographers pulling over. EVERYONE was stopping their cars and pulling out cell phones.
We didn't discuss the idea of continuing to the South side view as we were all thinking the same thing at this point. I pulled over as soon as I could find a parking place, still about a 1/2 mile from the picnic area and all of us grabbed our tripods and ran off looking for a clear view. Tom and I headed into the woods looking for a spot that would highlight the mist against the dark face of the cliff behind. I was shocked both at the amount of water coming off the Fall, and the COLOR as I had assumed that there wouldn't be much to shoot until after Feb 16. We kept shooting as the Fall went from White hot, to burning orange to red. For someone who has been trying to get a decent Horsetail shot for the past six years, this was truly a Horsetail Sunset to remember.
For more information on how, when and where to shoot this amazing phenomenon, please feel free to read my latest blog article entitled Looking For Fire At The Horsetail Fall
A Horsetail Fall Sunset To Remember
My friends Don, Mark and Jeff decided to make a trip out from the East Coast to shoot Yosemite and to shoot the Horsetail Fall this year. I had warned them that they might not get "optimal" color if they came out on Presdident's Day weekend as it was so early this year. But it turned out to be the only time they could come, so they came out hoping for the best. Tom and I picked up Mark at LAX and the three of us drove to Yosemite to meet the others. Having shot the Horsetail for the past six years or so, my hopes were not very high as it was just too early. We were also bummed that the warm weather had pretty much obliterated the snow on the valley floor.
Friday night turned out to be a bit of a bust, but Saturday evening was a completely different story. We had hiked to Mirror Lake and Vernal Falls and were on our way to the South Side view of the Fall (we decided that the North side was usually "meh") when we got caught in a traffic jam of biblical proportions. It took us over an hour to drive from Curry Village to Yosemite Lodge, and it was now after 5 PM. All of the good spots had to be gone by now, and none of us was was feeling too enthusiastic as we poked our way past the Lodge.
But all of that changed as we came around the last corner and Horsetail Fall came into view. We were probably at least a mile from the El Cap Picnic area but people were already pulling over and just jumping out of their cars. I had never seen the Fall looking like this before. The heavy snowfall above and the warm, Springlike weather combined to create the best Horsetail conditions I had ever seen. The sun was catching the mist of the falls, blowing high in the air in all directions. In most years, you would notice the glow on the rocks as there would usually not be much water to speak of, but this year, the falls were flowing and the mist was just spectacular. It wasn't just photographers pulling over. EVERYONE was stopping their cars and pulling out cell phones.
We didn't discuss the idea of continuing to the South side view as we were all thinking the same thing at this point. I pulled over as soon as I could find a parking place, still about a 1/2 mile from the picnic area and all of us grabbed our tripods and ran off looking for a clear view. Tom and I headed into the woods looking for a spot that would highlight the mist against the dark face of the cliff behind. I was shocked both at the amount of water coming off the Fall, and the COLOR as I had assumed that there wouldn't be much to shoot until after Feb 16. We kept shooting as the Fall went from White hot, to burning orange to red. For someone who has been trying to get a decent Horsetail shot for the past six years, this was truly a Horsetail Sunset to remember.
For more information on how, when and where to shoot this amazing phenomenon, please feel free to read my latest blog article entitled Looking For Fire At The Horsetail Fall