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.