"A Midwinter Night's Dream"
For the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to call the Sierras my home for a few months each year. I’ve trekked to some of the most remote locations in the country to satisfy my backpacking ambitions and chase the light.
One thing I’ve been wanting to capture for a reeeeeally long time is the Yosemite winter scene. You know, THAT scene. I’ve tried and tried, and while sometimes multiple elements would come together, I never got those five minutes every photographer dreams of where everything comes together.
Noticing the promising weather forecast for this week and weekend, I decided to move four days’ worth of meetings and plans, skip my classes for a day, and knock out a boatload of work, all to be able to brave four more Yosemite winter nights in my one-man tent.
For me, on this Friday night, everything came together at last. I will forever remember this night, the tears building in my eyes as a small beam of light began to strike the base of El Capitan and slowly grew as it climbed up the massive face, the clouds that burst into pinks and clung to the Valley walls, the ghostly low fog floating above the snowy, blustery winter wonderland. Every time I look back through the images from this night, the tears come back: I don’t consider myself that emotional, but this evening definitely brought it out. It was one of the most humbling scenes I have experienced in one of the most humbling places on Earth. Words are failing me as I attempt to describe the moment as my senses found it.
With such perfect conditions, I almost felt I had a responsibility to create the perfect Yosemite image, one that incorporates everything I ever wanted in a shot. I may never know if I succeeded, but I gave it everything I had.
One thing I’ve been wanting to capture for a reeeeeally long time is the Yosemite winter scene. You know, THAT scene. I’ve tried and tried, and while sometimes multiple elements would come together, I never got those five minutes every photographer dreams of where everything comes together.
Noticing the promising weather forecast for this week and weekend, I decided to move four days’ worth of meetings and plans, skip my classes for a day, and knock out a boatload of work, all to be able to brave four more Yosemite winter nights in my one-man tent.
For me, on this Friday night, everything came together at last. I will forever remember this night, the tears building in my eyes as a small beam of light began to strike the base of El Capitan and slowly grew as it climbed up the massive face, the clouds that burst into pinks and clung to the Valley walls, the ghostly low fog floating above the snowy, blustery winter wonderland. Every time I look back through the images from this night, the tears come back: I don’t consider myself that emotional, but this evening definitely brought it out. It was one of the most humbling scenes I have experienced in one of the most humbling places on Earth. Words are failing me as I attempt to describe the moment as my senses found it.
With such perfect conditions, I almost felt I had a responsibility to create the perfect Yosemite image, one that incorporates everything I ever wanted in a shot. I may never know if I succeeded, but I gave it everything I had.
