Upper Yosemite Falls in Winter (BW)
Yosemite has been transforming itself into a modern day theme park to accommodate mass tourism. I remember visiting the park during the peak season … congested traffic for miles, crying infants, visitors packed like sardines into shuttle service buses … Although I often think that Yosemite has lost some of its allure, once in a while, I still find myself walking the valley floor. During the winter months, Yosemite still shows its quiet grandeur to those who love the park for what it is.
I took a few decent photos during my visit last weekend, but this black and white version of the Upper Yosemite Falls is one of my favorites. When I shot this image, I was thigh deep in the soft snow, waiting for the morning light to come through. There was nobody else around but my camera and I. In the quietness of a cold winter morning, my bio rhythms slowed down to match with my surrounding. I stood still, taking it all in.
I returned to Yosemite looking for a quick escape, and I found what I was searching for since dawn: a moment of stillness alone in the middle of some of the grandest display of Mother Nature’s wonders. People often ask me why I keep on coming back to Yosemite, I simply say because I like it. It is hard for me to explain my desire to loose myself in order to find myself again …
Thunderous cracking sound from the distance waterfall awakened my senses. I wiggled my toes and dug myself out of the snow. On my way back to the swinging bridge, another photographer greeted me, “I saw you deep in the snow, and I am glad I didn’t go out there!” I smiled, “It’s easy to get lost in a beautiful morning”. He nodded, and we parted way.
Alternate View
| EXIF & Info
- Camera:
- Canon EOS 5D
- Lens:
- Canon EF 17-40mm F4L USM
- Filter:
- Lee 0.6 hard-edge GND
- Tripod:
- Gitzo GT3530S 6x + RRS BH-55 LR ballhead
- EXIF:
- [F16] [1/6s] [26mm] [ISO 50]
- Exposure Mode:
- Manual
- Date Taken:
- February 21, 2009
- Published:
- February 23, 2009 at 1:30 am
- Category:
- Black-White, Landscape, Photo, Travel
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