Half Dome — Autumn, Yosemite National Park
In October, the black oaks on Yosemite's valley floor turn gold and amber, and the granite above them turns orange in the last afternoon light — so the whole frame glows in a single warm register interrupted only by the blue sky above Half Dome's summit. The granite face catches the low-angle autumn sun differently than it catches summer light: more raking, more textured, the individual exfoliation sheets casting shadows that don't exist in summer. This capture was made from the valley floor in last light, the camera on a tripod, the oaks in the foreground completing the composition. Half Dome is among the most photographed features in the American West; this image finds its moment in the season and the light.
In October, the black oaks on Yosemite's valley floor turn gold and amber, and the granite above them turns orange in the last afternoon light — so the whole frame glows in a single warm register interrupted only by the blue sky above Half Dome's summit. The granite face catches the low-angle autumn sun differently than it catches summer light: more raking, more textured, the individual exfoliation sheets casting shadows that don't exist in summer. This capture was made from the valley floor in last light, the camera on a tripod, the oaks in the foreground completing the composition. Half Dome is among the most photographed features in the American West; this image finds its moment in the season and the light.