Half Dome Sunset from Big Oak Flat Road
Posted on 12 November 2009
Half Dome Sunset from Big Oak Flat Road. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Sunset on Half Dome and El Capitan, photographed from Big Oak Flat Road, Yosemite National Park, California.
I almost always stop at this turnout along the Big Oak Flat Road entrance to Yosemite Valley when heading into the Valley and, if the conditions are right, photograph the view up the Valley past El Capitan toward Half Dome. (The turnout is just past the side road to Foresta as you head toward the Valley.) The morning view tends to be, obviously, backlit and often includes a lot of haze – which can be an interesting subject itself.
For some time I’ve wanted to try photographing this view near sunset. I have tried a few times during the past year, but either managed to miss the good light (it starts a bit earlier than I thought it would) or else I had flat and boring light when I arrived. On this afternoon I thought that the light might be more interesting so I managed to leave the Valley soon enough to get to this spot with plenty of time to spare. I actually arrived so early that I didn’t even set up my camera right away – but I was soon surprised by the full moon coming up above El Capitan! (Photos of that scene may be coming a bit later.)
As sunset approached the last light hit the forested ridge in the lower part of the scene and shadows from foreground ridges began to lengthen and get darker.
This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
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keywords: yosemite, national, park, valley, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, autumn, fall, season, scenic, travel, nature, landscape, california, sunset, half, dome, el capitan, forest, tree, light, shadow, big, oak, flat, road, overlook, stock, evening, pinnacle, canyon
5 comments to Half Dome Sunset from Big Oak Flat Road
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G Dan Mitchell
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, and night photography.
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[...] About Photographing Icons Earlier today I posted a photograph of an icon, Yosemite’s Half Dome. The idea of photographing such a thing evokes a variety of thoughts [...]
Dan,
Nice photo. I’ve always encountered a lot of haze at that spot. What amazes me is how close Half Dome looks there compared with Tunnel View. (http://davemiller.smugmug.com/Photography/Yosemite-in-Winter/7381681_tt98S#475355216_eWAvU)
I know a zoom lens adds compression, but the composition of El Cap and Half Dome as you have shown is a wonder.
Thanks for sharing!
dave
http://www.baoutdoors.com
Hi Dave:
Yes, this spot is almost always hazy, at least when I stop on my way into the Valley in the morning. I’ve felt that it might be less hazy late in the day, but previously had not managed to time things quite right, plus the almost complete front lighting can be a challenge.
It really does require a pretty long lens to get this composition from this spot. I shot this with 100-400 lens on a full frame body.
Dan
love the converging angles of all the mountains. nice shot……
Doug
Thanks, Doug. It is precisely those converging (and otherwise related) lines that intrigue me so much about this viewpoint. Oddly, the fact the mountains are Half Dome and El Capitan is less my focus that this arrangement of forms.
Dan