Yosemite Falls

I recently came across this photo while going through some old boxes of prints.

What I’d Like To Be Able To Say

It was an ambition of mine to take a photograph of lower Yosemite Falls in full flow. In addition, I calculated that including the tree at the base of the falls would give the image some scale. Due to the angle of the sunrise there are only a few days in the year when the tree is sidelit in front of the falls, so it was imperative that I show up quite early on this particular morning. The trail to the base of the falls, usually bustling with tourists and snapshooters, was oddly empty, all thoughts driven out by the thunderous roar of the waterfall. Scrambling among the rocks I tried to place the legs of my tripod in the most advantageous position. The morning dimness gradually retreated and finally the rising sun illuminated the small tree. I made several exposures, the most representative is shown here.

Alas, The Reality

In the spring of 1990 I was staying at Yosemite Lodge, near the base of Yosemite Falls. One morning I got up, walked over to the base of the falls, and took this totally unplanned-for photograph. The part about the trail being empty and the thunderous roar . . . yes, that did happen.

Photo: Yosemite Falls—Sierra Nevada, 1990