Sonora Guy
The Perfect Valentine's Day Present.
Sometimes Nature does something that's so wild, you can hardly believe it happened. Even if you have the pictures to prove it.
If the conditions are right (and they almost never are) the setting sun peaks directly into Yosemite Valley and lights up Horsetail Falls, turning it into a golden stream of fire. This only happens for a couple of weeks in the month of February, and only if the conditions (clouds, water, ice) are all perfect. Some photographers have stayed in the Valley for two weeks, aiming for this shot every night, and came up empty handed. Others have come to the valley every year, for five years, and not seen this sight.
But we got lucky. After a wonderful Valentine's Day Brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, we camped out with 50 or 60 other photographs at the El Capitan Picnic site. My wife, who is much smarter than I am, deduced that the correct place to shoot the scene was from a meadow a couple of hundred yards North East from everybody else. But, even with the best sight in hand, it looked like it was going to be a bust. The clouds started forming over the west side of the Valley and the sunlight was gone. We started picking up our tripods and putting away the cameras, when, BAM, just a few minutes before sunset, the sun snuck through like a laser beam. Back went up the tripods, the cameras were attached and we were firing away as fast as banshees.
It isn't perfect. There could be more water, or a few more clouds. But, that's okay. It just serves as motivation to go back and try it again.
My wife, who many of you know, and I have pretty much the same shot. So, if you have both of us as contacts, don't feel like you've got to comment twice. (I read her comments too). :-)
The Perfect Valentine's Day Present.
Sometimes Nature does something that's so wild, you can hardly believe it happened. Even if you have the pictures to prove it.
If the conditions are right (and they almost never are) the setting sun peaks directly into Yosemite Valley and lights up Horsetail Falls, turning it into a golden stream of fire. This only happens for a couple of weeks in the month of February, and only if the conditions (clouds, water, ice) are all perfect. Some photographers have stayed in the Valley for two weeks, aiming for this shot every night, and came up empty handed. Others have come to the valley every year, for five years, and not seen this sight.
But we got lucky. After a wonderful Valentine's Day Brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, we camped out with 50 or 60 other photographs at the El Capitan Picnic site. My wife, who is much smarter than I am, deduced that the correct place to shoot the scene was from a meadow a couple of hundred yards North East from everybody else. But, even with the best sight in hand, it looked like it was going to be a bust. The clouds started forming over the west side of the Valley and the sunlight was gone. We started picking up our tripods and putting away the cameras, when, BAM, just a few minutes before sunset, the sun snuck through like a laser beam. Back went up the tripods, the cameras were attached and we were firing away as fast as banshees.
It isn't perfect. There could be more water, or a few more clouds. But, that's okay. It just serves as motivation to go back and try it again.
My wife, who many of you know, and I have pretty much the same shot. So, if you have both of us as contacts, don't feel like you've got to comment twice. (I read her comments too). :-)