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The Glowing Faces of El Capitan
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The Glowing Faces of El Capitan



behind the lens badge
cameraNIKON D800E

settings Aperture f/16 ISO 320 Shutter 1/80 Focal Length 140/10 

upload_dateOct, 2015

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10539

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Awards

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Contest Finalist in Earth Day 2017 Photo Contest
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Winner in Reflective Waters (Lakes, Ponds, Rivers) Photo Challenge
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13 Comments |
SuperPhotos
 
SuperPhotos August 10, 2016
Nicely done!
GabrielCarlsonCreations PRO+
GabrielCarlsonCreations August 10, 2016
Thank you. :-) That was a good day.
David_Blakley_Photography Platinum
 
David_Blakley_Photography December 15, 2016
The Captain never looked so good. Thank you for entering this into my photo challenge "Reflective Waters" and congratulations on your win!
GabrielCarlsonCreations PRO+
GabrielCarlsonCreations December 15, 2016
Thank you very much. :-)
Banie PRO
 
Banie December 16, 2016
A majestic scene. Congratulations on winning the "reflective Waters" challenge.
GabrielCarlsonCreations PRO+
GabrielCarlsonCreations December 16, 2016
Thank you, Banie. :-)
snowdon PRO
 
snowdon January 06, 2017
Congratulations on your Finalist Win in the Monthly Pro vol 27 competition ... Well deserved
MichelleRaneeJohnson
 
MichelleRaneeJohnson February 15, 2017
One of my favorite shots of El Capitan!!! And I've seen many!! Great job!!
Coshooter
 
Coshooter March 09, 2017
Beautiful reflection!
simonparry
 
simonparry April 24, 2017
Excellent capture,lovely reflection..
simeonwynne
 
simeonwynne May 21, 2017
Wow ???? incredible reflection
AAphoto2000
 
AAphoto2000 June 21, 2017
Sick
Neckbone
 
Neckbone January 31, 2018
Beautiful scene and capture!
WolfEyesPhotography
 
WolfEyesPhotography November 19, 2018
Yowsa! Amazing in every way!!!!
RedSkyPhotography PRO+
 
RedSkyPhotography June 15, 2022
Awesome shot!
mcaguado
 
mcaguado June 15, 2023
More than beautiful!

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Tags

#Yosemite National Park #forest #mountains #sky #El Capitan #water #reflection #sunset
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Behind The Lens

Location

This shot was take from the edge of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park.

Time

This shot was near the end of a 4-hour crawl along the Merced River that ended just after sunset. Driving in with a plan to go shoot Half Dome from Mirror Lake, I had just hit the valley floor and crossed the Merced when I noticed that it was glass smooth. Obviously the original plan was wisely abandoned.

Lighting

That day the air was incredibly clear over the central valley of California, so the setting sunlight was especially intense. Many times, the dust in the air filtering the light over Yosemite can leave the sky sort of grayish.

Equipment

This was shot using a Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-120mm f4 lens, tripod and the ever handy RF remote shutter release.

Inspiration

I make a pilgrimage to Yosemite every chance I get; even for just a day. The park is inspiring in all weather and day or night. The inspiration for this specific image came as my original plans for that evening were derailed. I'd never seen the Merced River so glass smooth. Upon noticing it from the car, I immediately started looking for a place to pull over. Three quarters of a mile later I finally found a pull-out, jumped out, grabbed my gear and ran back down the road. I found a place to climb down the bank and spent the next 4 hours shooting along the banks of the river. That was easily my greatest day in the park.

Editing

As I shoot RAW, I mainly just put the image through my usual post-processing regimen. This is mainly just return the colors and contrast to original memory and sharpening to remove the usual RAW noise.

In my camera bag

I'm usually hiking many miles into areas to shoot so weight is a concern for me. Most of the time, I have to choose just a couple of lenses and a single camera body based on what I plan to shoot or what I may come across on the trail. In general for day-light trips, I'll have a do-all lens, usually my Nikon 24-120mm f4 on the camera at all times unless I switch for a specific reason. The other lenses I may have with me are a Sigma 105mm Art lens for macro and close-up work or a 150-600mm Tamron zoom if I'm specifically out to photograph wildlife. If I'm out after wildlife, I may leave my Nikon D810 at home in favor of my Nikon D7100 for the magnification advantage of the APS-C format (a toss-up and usually the cause of an anguished decision). For night work, I use a D810 and Nikon 24mm f1.4 for star fields and pretty much anything low-light. Sometimes if I need a wider field of view, I'll switch over to a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8. Both are fast enough to shoot star fields with a full frame camera and governed by the 400 rule. Along with the camera and lenses, I carry a graphite tripod and RF remote.

Feedback

Mostly it's patience and don't get fixated on your subject. I see many people will start snapping away without realizing that there are objects breaking up important lines or encroaching on their framing. Usually just a move a few feet to one side or another would create a far better photograph. Most of the time, when I'm composing an image in the wild, I'm not even looking at the subject in the view finder. I'm looking at all of the lines around it and the framing to make sure that I can place any leading lines or subordinate objects in proper places in the image. It's always too late when you get home and find that the river bank is running off at an odd angle or the trees framing your intended subject are out of proportion or slightly off angle. In both cases it would have been easy to just move down a ways so the angle on your subject allows for less visual distraction from odd angles and bad placement.

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