Reliquiae Diei: Remains of the Day

In October, when the black oaks on Yosemite's valley floor reach full color, El Capitan's reflection appears in the Merced River if the air is still and the water level is low enough to run without current — conditions that align on perhaps twenty mornings per year. This panorama was assembled from multiple frames, the camera positioned as low as possible above the water to maximize the reflection's area in the frame — a compositional choice that changes the image from a photograph of a mountain to a photograph of a mountain becoming something else. The oak color in this image is at peak — a mix of gold and amber that only holds for perhaps a week. The reflection broke within minutes of the capture as the first valley breeze arrived.