A Moment Of Light - a photo on Flickriver

A Moment Of Light

Over the past couple of years I haven't spent as much time up at the tunnel at Yosemite, opting instead to go down to the river or try spots that are a bit more of a challenge to get to. The whole tunnel experience can be such a drain with entire busloads of tourists pouring out and pushing their way to the rim, getting their selfies while snowballs fly in all directions.

So the question arises...why go there at all? I had an exchange with Matt Payne (the host of F Stop, Collaborate and Listen) a while back as he and several of his guests were asserting the premise that serious landscape photographers, i.e. those who have been shooting for quite a while or have gone full time, eventually turn their backs on iconic locations in favor of spots that are more of a challenge to get to or are lesser known. The more serious and professional you are, the less likely you are to shoot at a location like the tunnel up at Yosemite, which is, arguably, the most iconic location on the planet.

Add to this the fact that Thomas Heaton recently proclaimed "If you go up to Yosemite and take a photograph from Tunnel View, nobody cares" on an episode of Nick Page's Landscape Photography Podcast.

I had to wince a bit when I heard Matt and his guests along with Thomas Heaton. I've been shooting landscapes digitally for well over 10 years, and yet...I'm not done with the tunnel, or for that matter, half a dozen other iconic locations in Yosemite. At the same time, I have pushed myself to get to lesser known locations in that park, several of which are a bit off trail and a bit sketchy. My response to Matt was...regardless of experience, people need to shoot that which speaks to them personally. If you are NOT shooting something merely because it has become popular or overshot...and something about that shot is still calling you....you need to go out and get that freaking shot.

To me, it will always be more about the shot itself and less about who is standing next to me. During my last trip to the valley, I was by myself up at the tunnel at least a half a dozen times....and those times can be pure magic. In this particular instance, I'd say there were about half a dozen of us left in the late afternoon after the busses left. I was hiding out in my Prius, sipping soup, waiting for the snow to let up when suddenly it got a bit lighter. I was out of my car in a flash and I headed for the rim. For a brief moment, the sun came out and swept up the valley floor, lingering for a moment on Bridal Veil. And then, just as quickly, the light was gone and the snow returned.

While I am all in favor of originality and new locations, there's something to be said about returning to a location that you feel you have a spiritual or emotional connection to. Some photographers might roll their eyes...and that's OK. But I don't think I'm alone here. Professionals like Michael Frye have been shooting Yosemite for decades...and he still shoots from the tunnel, given the right circumstances. And just last week, Gary Hart's tunnel view shot was on the cover of Outdoor Magazine. The tunnel view still calls to many of us...veterans and newbies alike. For others, the very act of shooting something that has been photographed a billion times is anathema.

It's all good. My main advice, should anyone ask, is simply to be honest with yourself. If instagram and facebook disappeared tomorrow....would you still shoot it? Views, comments, likes....if all of them disappeared forever, I think you would still find me on days like February 16, standing on the rim of the tunnel view with my jaw hanging open, camera in hand.

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BTW - Both of the above mentioned podcasts are highly recommended. "F Stop Collaborate And Listen" and "The Landscape Photography Podcast" are both available on iTunes, Spotify, etc. Yosemite is a freaking long drive from Orange County and both Matt and Nick have kept me awake countless times on my drives.

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Taken on: February 16, 2019

Tags:

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park

Snow

Bridal Veil

Bridal Veil Fall

Tunnel View « less

Sets appears in: • Yosemite

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