I have it in mind to write a piece about the value of becoming very familiar with a place you photograph. While is is great fun to go to new places and photograph them, often focusing on the famous subjects and the grand scene, only when you take the time to really become familiar with a place or a subject can you really learn the best ways to photograph it.
Along these lines, I’ve been following a series of posts by Edie at The Little Red Tent in which she writes about photographing Horsetail Falls in Yosemite Valley. As near as I can tell, Edie must live in The Valley. IYes, I’m jealous. :-) I’ve gotten to know The Valley fairly well now that I’ve been visiting for decades, but she not only knows the places but the times of year and the times of day and the vagaries of local weather and the best route from point A to point B.
Today’s post at her site is great example. I won’t tell the whole story here, but against all reason she struggled out to one of the places from which Horsetail Falls is generally photographed. Horsetail Falls is a seasonal waterfall that can catch the brilliant sunset light during the month of February when the conditions are just right. In any case, in unpromising weather she tromped through knee-deep snow, set up in cloudy conditions, and waited. “And then it happened. I could see light on the wall just beyond the ridge, a warm glow. The sun had slipped below the clouds to the west and was shining on the wall.”
And she was the only one there.
Thanks for this post. First, the shot is amazing and I am glad I have been privileged enough to view it. Second, I relate to your sentiments expressed here. I don’t get to travel much to the admittedly great national parks for classic shots like this, but I do frequent, even haunt, my local parks. You are so correct that getting to know your location helps. Given enough time and familiarity you do indeed have two distinct advantages: (1) you can see things developing and know when an opportunity is likely to present itself. Sometimes the night before you just know the next morning at a particular spot will be superb. Likewise, sometimes throughout the day you can see the light developing and you just know from experience that you need to get to “that” place by “that” time and the shot may be there (then you hope for a little luck), but your experience with the place has put you in a position to get the shot if things develop as you know they might. All said, I really appreciate the sentiments expressed here Dan. Thanks.
Hey Dan,
the park volunteer option is great. I’ve been able to get access to places I wouldn’t otherwise get to go to. Off trail stuff. I’m going to get a pair of snow shoes for use in the winter…and I’ve only been doing it for a couple months now (only “officially” for about 2 weeks)
I’m looking forward to the days where I “look forward” to a bear….I’ve seen 2, neither one was in any type of position to get too close to me. One was from my car, 2 minutes after finishing a solo hike, the other was with a group of 4 other people…all of which I could’ve out run should I have had to. haha.
There has been a lot of times though I’ve not gone on a trail out of just unrational fear…and that’s always bugs me…but it is improving.
Hi Brian: I go back and forth between wanting to see lots of new places and subjects (and I do get to a few) and the desire to return again and again to the old favorites. The old favorites often win out. Living in the SF Bay area, though, I do get quite a bit of variety. My “old favorites” include the Pacific coast, the oak/grassland areas, San Francisco, the Sierra Nevada (especially the Sierra Nevada!), and the eastern and southern California deserts.
Keep working on those “unrational fears.” They can sure hold you back. I’ve been backpacking for so long that I’m past almost all of them now – and I rarely find myself worried about such things in the backcountry. I guess I’ve lived through enough alpine storms, visits by bears, losing my route, and so forth that these things no longer arouse much fear. In fact, sometimes I actually enjoy them. My pulse does rise when I encounter a bear in the backcountry – but I no longer become scared or run away. In fact, such encounters are the highlights of my trips.
Thanks for reminding me about the park volunteer option. I’ve been meaning to do this in Yosemite for several years now. Your message came on the same day that I received a message about volunteer opportunities from the Yosemite Association. Maybe someone is trying to tell me something?
Take care,
Dan
Yeah I’m getting to that point…I’ve got a lot of places still to get to, but over the course the next few years I’ll be able to do it…and as a park volunteer, all my miles and time is tax deductable. My main problem is overcoming unrational fears and learning to get out more by myself, and venture on longer hikes, and what not.
For me there are two kinds of subjects about which I’ve been able to develop this level of familiarity. One type is the local central California oak-grassland areas where I hike and photograph most weeks. There are a few of these places where I really know and recognize individual trees and rocks, or can predict when a certain flower will come up and so forth. The other includes areas that I visit a bit less frequently but that I have visited repeatedly for many decades. These include Yosemite Valley, the areas around Tuolumne Meadows, some areas in the eastern Sierra, and some southern Sierra locations that I have returned to over the past, ahem, three or more decades.
But 25 times in the last few months at Lassen! I’m impressed – you must really know that area extremely well now.
I understand what you mean Dan about becoming familiar with a place, it’s been like that with me and Lassen Park….being so close has allowed me to go out there more than 25 times the past few months, and you start to get really familiar with the typical spots, and the way the light moves throughout the day, and when to be at certain areas. It’s really awesome to have that kind of opportunity…the nice thing about Lassen is that 95% of the time I am the only one there. It’s one of the most seldom visited National Parks we have, and I kind of like it that way.
Hi Edie:
I didn’t originally know it – I just figured that somehow you managed to spend even more time in the Sierra than I do. But as I followed your blog this fall it became pretty obvious that you must live there.
I’m still hoping to get up there this weekend or possibly the next. Because of the nature of my day gig (faculty at a bay area college) I often have to make my plans at the last minute.
Dan
*blush*
Dan, I thought you knew I live in Yosemite!
This does afford me the time to get out and explore the valley. Living here is a challenge, and there are times when I just have to get out from between the walls.
Thank you for the mention. I’ve tried to mark locations on a Google Earth map. You’re all welcome to drop by http://littleredtent.net/LRTblog to download it.
See you all at the El Cap picnic area!
Edie