Eloquent Images by Gary Hart
Insight, information, and inspiration for the inquisitive nature photographer
(More) Tunnel View magic
Moon at Twilight, Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View
This post is for everyone who woke up this morning thinking, “Gee, I sure wish there were more pictures from Tunnel View in Yosemite.” Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Okay, seriously, the world really doesn’t need any more Tunnel View pictures, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. Call me biased, but I’ll put this view up against any in the world. I’ve been here hundreds (thousands?) of times, but still try to make it my first stop every time I enter Yosemite Valley (even though it’s a slight detour from my standard route into the park). And Tunnel View’s position overlooking the west end of the valley makes it the first place to clear after a storm, so it’s usually where I wait out any weather.
Since most of my workshops usually include a few people who have never experienced Yosemite, I get vicarious thrills by making Tunnel View my first workshop stop. Of course we usually return as I have many favorite times to share this view: any clearing storm, a crescent moon rising in the predawn twilight, a fiery sunset, Bridalveil Fall’s colorful ascending prism each spring afternoon, Half Dome and El Capitan against a post-sunset pink and blue pastel sky, a rainbow arcing across Yosemite Valley, and a full moon rising above Half Dome at sunset. Nevertheless, with a vast portfolio of all these magic moments, I rarely photograph here anymore.
So what possessed me to take out my camera on the first sunset of last week’s Yosemite workshop? I’m guess still a hopeless sucker for a clearing storm, but the tipping point for me that evening came when I moon popped out, a rare opportunity to photograph something a little different from anything else I have. Including the moon in my frame required going a little wider than I normally do here, about 30mm in this case, which reduced the moon to a small accent punctuating the scene. If you read my post on visual balance, you understand why I like a small moon that’s not necessarily the focal point the frame.
But enough about me. As much as I enjoyed photographing this, it was more fun watching everyone else watch the sunset unfold. The swirling clouds went from gray, to white, and then pink, before finally parting to reveal blue sky and the moon suspended above Leaning Tower. Between clicks I heard giggles of excitement and even a few audible gasps. Pretty cool.
Eloquent Images by Gary Hart 
Yep; that’s a small moon:))
Actually, the moon is its regular size–a 30mm focal length shrunk the entire scene. 🙂 In a few days I’ll post a telephoto from a couple of nights later.
Good things come in small packages. The moon looks playful 😉
Never enough Yosemite from ANY view. Beautiful, complex image. (I love small moons)
http://www.sessionkat.com/out/e2dd88754
Goodnight, moon.
Great view as I had the opportunity of photographing this this last Saturday while hiking a trailhead across the road. This hike got me up and away from the crowds that line the parking lot. I was wondering if you ever got tired of photographing this view HA!