Our family vacation continued for more days in Yosemite and beyond. This, however, is my final post about the trip because I took one more fine art photograph in Yosemite before packing the camera away and simply enjoying the rest of our time together on the eastbound journey home. There was no particular reason for this. It was a vacation, and I used the camera when I felt inspired.

The location of this photo was Mirror Lake. We took a bus there to do some hiking in the late morning. We stayed for many hours, through mid-afternoon. Stopping to enjoy a picnic lunch was particularly enjoyable. Mirror Lake has an easy, paved path which goes directly from the parking lot / bus station to the lake as it follows Tenaya Creek. A second dirt path parallels the first, but on the other side of the creek Then, this path encircles the lake. It was our intention to hike the entire route and return on the other side. Unfortunately our plans were foiled again by the high-water levels. About halfway around the lake the path was washed out and warning signs told us to return from the direction we came. It was disappointing. We actually considered going on to see how bad it was. After talking briefly with some other hikers who had tried to brave the way we learned it was truly impassable… deep and too cold to ford. 

On our return trip we found ourselves once again walking along the river as we got closer to the trailhead. The sun was high overhead and bright. These are not the type of conditions a photographer normally prefers. But they are not impossible to work with either. A great photo can be made in just about any lighting if you are inspired, and you know your craft well. Having the right equipment to mold the light is also important. 

I found a terrific spot to frame my composition by some rapid water (Tenaya Creek) with colorful rocks. A fallen tree provided a platform to set two of my tripod’s feet against while the 3^rd was on the same path I stood upon. This provided the vantage point my camera needed. Yes, I was using the Epoch again. I’d been carrying it all day. With plans for a long exposure and some gusty wind blowing this would be a real challenge for this tripod’s stability. The Pentax 75mm 645 lens provided the angle of view I wanted for framing the rapids and the rocks. A few degrees of forward tilt on the Actus provided the focus placement. I used 3 filters for this scene: a polarizer, an ND grad. and a high-strength ND1000 filter. The grad was positioned sideways, or left-to-right (about 90 degrees opposite of how you typically see grads being used). This sideways orientation allowed me to control the highlights and shadows across the scene from the sparkling white water on the left side to the area on the right where it flowed from, which I wanted to place in shadow for a more dramatic effect. 

Getting it right in the camera is a philosophy I very much believe in. Lens choice, aperture & shutter speed choices, filters, camera positioning, as well as swings, tilts, and shifts all come together in glorious harmony to capture, no strike that, to create an image that can be magnificent. I wasn’t thinking about post, or taking a shot with the hope it might be something good after a bunch of computer manipulation. My computer was 3,000 miles away! I was there, in the sun and the wind before a mighty river with the tools of my craft, making a photograph. I was in the moment both loving and thinking, enjoying while working out technical details. This was bliss. A shutter speed of 3 seconds rendered the water in a way which conveys the incredible beauty and power of the river that day.

Cambo Actus with Pentax 75mm f2.8 645 lens. Fuji GFX50S. Epoch prototype tripod.

After taking the photo it was fun to chat with Shelly and Eddie. As they looked upon the scene, and then though the camera’s eye I could see their amazement. How was this the photo? It looked nothing like the scene before us, and yet it did… and yet it did.

Once again, the Epoch proved worth of the task. This is going to be a great tripod when it comes to market next year. I’m extremely pleased with the photograph too!