UPDATE: As of 2020 I am no longer posting annual updates concerning this subject — and I am editing older posts on the subject in light of the need to be more responsible about not encouraging the onslaught. I also no longer recommend going to the Valley to see it. Unfortunately, too much exposure (yes, I played a part in it, unfortunately) has led to absurd crowds, traffic jams, littering, destruction of areas in the Valley where too many people go to see it… and the park has increasingly — and appropriately — cracked down. Parking options have been eliminated, at least one viewing location has been closed. Good news! The rest of Yosemite Valley is still there and often exceptionally beautiful at this time of year.

(This is a re-post of something I posted at my dan’s outside web site after returning from Yosemite this past weekend. I am leaving it here for sentimental and perhaps historical reasons, though I now recommend that you do not join the hordes descending on the park to photograph the thing. The experience I had no longer exists and the park has had to Putin place significant controls and rules to deal with the damage from thousands of people showing up for this.)

Although I’ve been going to Yosemite regularly since I was perhaps five years old (and I’m not going to say how long ago that was… ;-) I’ve never managed to see the February marvel of Horsetail Fall at sunset. Horsetail is a seasonal waterfall near the east end of the face of El Capitan. During early to mid February (and, according to some a bit earlier and later in the year as well) the light from the sun hits the waterfall just before sunset, creating an amazing light show for those who are a bit east of El Capitan where they can view the backlit waterfall. Galen Rowell made the sight famous with one of his photographs taken several decades ago, and it has since become of of the “must do” photographs in the Valley.

Partly inspired by Edie Howe’s information at The Little Red Tent web site, I made plans to get up there last weekend. The conditions were, indeed, right this time. Several things have to fall into place for this to work. There must have been good snowfall on the area just above the Valley. There must have a been a period of warmer weather that has melted some of the snow in order to get the creek feeding the fall running. The weather must be such that the sun can hit the wall at sunset – either clear weather or else clouds that permit the sunlight to shine through right at sunset.

I went to the Valley on Friday and got myself a campsite in the early afternoon, after which I spent a couple of hours scoping out shooting locations. I found several along Southside Drive on the opposite side of the Valley from the fall. However, the closest location is at the El Capitan picnic area on Northside Drive. Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately…) Northside Drive has been closed by a combination of construction work and some rockfall farther east in the Valley. I finally decided to try for the picnic area. Since this requires a bit of a walk across the Valley, some time in the currently snowed-in picnic area, and a dark walk back across to Northside drive, I dressed warmly and got an early start.

In the end I was rewarded with some quite good photograph opportunities and I made a lot of exposures. However, I decided to go back and give it another try the next night – and that is when I got the image posted below.

Horsetail Fall, Sunset. Yosemite National Park, California. February 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

And, finally, a bit of technical information. I shot with a Canon 5D and the EF 100-400mm L lens. I also had several other lenses with me (24-105mm and 70-200mm) but the longer zoom seemed to cover this scene the best. The lens was mounted to the tripod and I shot with MLU and a remote release. I shot an initial frame in aV mode to get exposure and then switched to manual exposure, making manual adjustments as the light became dimmer. I played with focal lengths between about 200mm and 300mm but eventually settled in on the 250mm range used in this shot. (Keep in mind that I use a full frame camera. I you use crop you would want a shorter lens for similar framing.)

The lighting is slightly tricky. First of all, it changes continuously near sunset, in both intensity and color. On top of that, there is a great deal of dynamic contrast between some of the shadowed areas on the cliff and the highlights reflecting on the waterfall – one needs to pay careful attention to this. Although the changes are continuous – or perhaps because of this – the changes can sneak up on you. Although I wait for “the right moment” I also continue to shoot periodically. In addition, don’t give up too soon! Sierra sunset light can often do surprising and wonderful things right up to the end – and on occasion seemingly beyond the last light.

If you shoot this scene for the first time, as long it is accessible I recommend going to the El Capitan picnic area. It is closest to the fall, provides an interesting angle, and when there is snow it may be less crowded. An added advantage is that you can arrive a bit early and shoot the last light in El Capitan Meadow before walking back to the picnic area. Given more time, I would also try a few of the areas on the other side of the Merced River along Southside Drive. Given a lot more time, I would load up my overnight pack, strap on my cross-country skis, grab a really long lens, and perhaps try shooting it from Sentinel Dome or similar.