Every year during a ten day period in mid-February, hundreds of photographers converge on Yosemite National Park with the goal of photographing an unusual natural phenomenon.
They’re hoping to capture an image of Horsetail Falls, a photograph of which was made famous by the landscape photographer Galen Rowell in 1973. To get the shot requires a bit of luck as several elements have to come together. First there has to be a sufficient amount of snow on the summit of El Capitan. Secondly, it has to be warm enough to then produce enough snowmelt to create the twenty-one hundred foot tall waterfall. Finally, there needs to be clear skies to the west just before the sun dips below the horizon so sunlight can illuminate the waterfall. During this short window of time in February the angle of the sun and the west facing rock face behind the falls perfectly align, lighting the waterfall with an orange glow while the rest of the face of El Capitan, oriented at a slightly different angle, remains in shade. The effect lasts at most fifteen minutes and it’s a pretty dramatic sight that gives the illusion of a waterfall of fire.
There are two locations in the Yosemite valley where the falls are visible and photographers start arriving early each morning to stake out the best viewpoints to place their tripods. By mid-afternoon every good vantage point has been taken. In the last few years it’s gotten so crowded that reservations are now required during the weekends just to enter the park.
I made a quick day trip to Yosemite about ten years ago to witness it for myself, keeping my fingers crossed that I would be rewarded for my time and effort. Even though I arrived just after lunch it was already crowded and I was lucky to find a decent spot to get set up. As sunset approached, things weren’t looking very promising as there were a lot of clouds on the horizon, but fortunately there was a brief window of light, lasting a few seconds, that gave me just enough time to capture a couple of images.
Mission accomplished.
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