For a landscape photographer, the experience of visiting Yosemite National Park is a unique and extraordinary one. Beyond the sheer beauty of the park, what struck me the most was that compared to other National parks, it was very vertical! I found myself looking straight up a lot more while also managing vertical perspective in the camera.
It’s a park full of amazingly beautiful tall coniferous trees, tall waterfalls—Big Yosemite Falls, Little Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Bridalveil Falls—and tall monolithic granite rock formations—El Capitan, Half Dome, North Dome, Cathedral Rocks, Sentinel Dome and others.
I used portrait orientation more frequently than usual here due to the parks strong vertical profile, especially in the valley. When you’re in the valley, it is sometimes difficult to get a clean shot in landscape orientation as you are often too close to the monoliths there, as well as the trees in front of them. It’s like everything is compressed together, so it makes shooting in portrait orientation sometimes a better option.
When it came to shooting sunsets, it was more challenging to find a spot where the horizon was visible, including the sun’s visibility over the mountainous horizon. We discovered one of the rituals in the park was viewing the sunset not facing the sun, but by turning your back to the sun and looking towards the face of El Capitan. The reflection of sunlight against the granite almost looks like the mountain is on fire! As the evening progresses, you observe the size, shape and brightness of the reflection change. Imagine, watching the sunset by looking away from the sun!
While Yosemite Valley is quite vertical, there are several peaceful and serene meadows, each with its own beauty to enjoy. They flash bright green fields of grass in the Springtime and serve as a wondrous foreground for the surrounding granite monoliths, Ponderosa Pines and overflowing waterfalls. I found them to be a good place for refuge and contemplation. A place to take stock of all that nature gives us in this majestic and even spiritual place.
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