Photographing Yosemite
Valley at Sunset
Capturing the perfect sunset is all about timing. This photo is no exception to that fact. Rewind to last May, my travel companions and I are lounging in our campsite in Yosemite as the sun starts its descent below the top of the trees. There’s no way. There’s no way we’re going to be able to make it to the overlook point for a photo of Yosemite Valley before the sunlight is completely gone.
In desperation, we all clambered into the van and zoomed up the winding road toward the vantage point with the descending sun acting as our visual clock. As we near our destination, I grabbed my Canon and fastened it to my trusty, overused tripod. Upon arriving, I quickly jumped out of the car and started visualizing the best spot for a photo. With hardly any time to think, I collaborated the DLSR’s setting and fired off some shots of the last remaining streaks of light falling on the cliffs across the valley. No success. In one last desperate attempt, I set the shutter speed to several seconds in hopes of capturing more of the sun’s last light. Bonzai! Sometimes you get lucky I guess.
