Self Portrait, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park

Where to start...

I just returned from a week-long trip to Yosemite National Park - my favorite place in the world - with three friends from across the U.S. It was a pleasure to be back in the park, be treated to wonderful weather, see peak waterfall flow, and be there to photograph it all.

Our fourth night in the park was spent on Sentinel Dome. Glacier Point may arguably be the better place to catch a sunset in Yosemite, but I'm particularly fond of Sentinel Dome, with its 360° view of the valley and the high sierra. On this particular evening we were treated to one of Yosemite's remarkable sunsets, with the best of the color persisting beyond the sunset as the sky to the northwest glowed bright orange and red. It was a few moments of chaos as the handful of photographers on the dome were torn between shooting east to Half Dome, south to the glowing high Sierra, northwest into the setting sun, down into the valley, or shooting the infamous Jeffrey Pine.

The idea for shooting silhouettes against the glowing northwest sky wasn't my idea, but I had to partake as well. My thanks to John for snapping the shutter from my camera. I framed it next to a young Jeffrey Pine, that I photographed from the opposite side on my first trip to Yosemite nearly three years ago.

The photos from this trip will probably come out slowly over time as I have time to digest everything, and as I wait for my film to come back. Please take some time to see the photos from my friends Suad, John, and Scott as well.

Nikon D90 | Nikon 18-200VR@42mm | f/9 | 1/25s | ISO 200 | Tripod

See more related images in my Yosemite National Park Gallery.

Tyler Westcott Photography on Facebook