Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite National Park

Way back in 2012 (well, if feels like way back to me) my wife and I made a very quick weekend trip to Yosemite, flying down from Seattle. It was a very dry year, the first in this long run of California droughts, so there was not a lot of snow in the mountains, or water flowing in the falls. There was so little snow in fact that we completed our first complete trek up the 4-mile trail to Glacier Point that same weekend, which should be impossible in a normal February due to the snow. However, with so little snow, the valley was dry and brown, and the waterfalls didn't put on much of a show.

Our first stop was at Bridalveil Fall in late afternoon. It was so long ago, I barely remember the circumstances, but browsing through old photographs a few days ago I noticed that I'd taken quite a few photographs without it being apparent why on the basis of the small previews. Closer examination reminded me that, despite the meager water flow, I thought the texture in the surrounded wet granite sort of came to life. The waterfall was mostly in shade, but the sun was striking the water just above the frame, which helped gently illuminate the scene from above. Re-establishing the white balance around the waterfall, the scene took on a warmth that I really enjoyed. With that, I happily found something I quite liked from the forgotten archives, and spent the next couple days working on producing a print first and foremost, and now sharing the digital image. This is a case where I find the contrast in the granite more subtle in the print than it appears on screen, but I am still happy with what I can show here.

Nikon D90 | Nikon 70-210mm @ 90mm | f/8 | 1/80s | ISO 400

See more related images in my Yosemite National Park Gallery.

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