Mike on backside of Hoffman
May, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Yosemite National Park. It is on the North side of Mt. Hoffman which is the geographic center of the park. This side of Mt. Hoffman is rarely seen, we traveled off trail over a ridge before reaching this vantage point. once we got there My friend Mike took a seat. I realized he was sitting on a perfect vista.Time
We got to the top of the ridge just after 4 pm so it was probably around 4:30 that this photo was taken. This isn't usually the best time of day for a photo but in this particular spot it is right around when it starts to actually get light because the sun is hidden behind the mountain most of the day.Lighting
Even though this shot is almost straight into the sun it was also giving great light to the area and giving good silhouettes on the far away ridges. The light also hits the backside of the very nicely at that time of day lighting up the spires and ridges and shadowing all of the cracks and features in the rocks giving a lot more texture. I used a small aperture, low ISO, and and a slower shutter speed to avoid having the sun wash the picture out.Equipment
I was shooting with a canon 60d. I used 12mm wide angle lense to get both the valley and the rock walls of the peak. I did not have a tripod or flash with me.Inspiration
I knew the backside of Mount Hoffman is a spot usually only visited by employees of the nearby High Sierra Camp. It is off trail with no real landmarks to show the best way to get over the ridge. I thought it would be a good spot to get some photos of rarely seen parts of one of America's busiest National Parks. I have been really enjoying taking photos of less known spots in popular places.Editing
I did go through photoshop and adjusted the highlights to make the sky less washed out.In my camera bag
I have my canon 60d which is my main camera. I usually only carry 2 lenses as I am usually hiking for at least a few miles to get photographs. I carry a wide angle 12mm which this photo was shot with, and a 18-135 mm IS. I always have my remote timmer for night shots and time lapses. there is always an extra batteries for the camera and the timer. I carry a couple extra small USB charger packs the are usually good for one extra charge. If I think I will be out for longer periods I also bring a Goal Zero nomad 70 charger to recharge batteries and USB charge packs while the sun is out.Feedback
The best advice I can give for shots like this is just to go explore find different place that have their own unique features that people might not usually see. Also I feel if you can include someone in the photo that doesn't draw from the beauty of where you are it helps people relate to the photo better it gives it a human connection. I think if people see someone enjoying a beautiful place it encourages the people looking at the photograph to feel the same way. Remember the subject is not necessarily the person but where the person is.
