Light through the Valley - Yosemite National Park

I’ve been asked a few times how high I had to hike up to get to the viewpoint I shot Firefall at. This shot gives you that sense. I started my hike below the tree line near the bottom of the photo. It wasn’t until about ¾ of the way up that I was able to turn around and begin to see this clearing. The hike wouldn’t have been that bad but when you gotta carry 2 telephotos, 2 bodies, a wide and a mid range lens along with a tripod, food, water and extra layers its worse than if I had to carry my son up with me. I got up in time to watch the sun set behind the cathedral peaks for this shot. The light on horsetail is still harsh as this was well before the beam was thin enough to produce the phenomenon, but the light spreading across the valley was way too sweet not to snag a shot.

www.bay-photography.com