Photo of the Day

The Road to Half Dome
Yosemite National Park, California, USA

 { Nikon D80 } – { 10.5 mm fisheye } – { f/8 } – { 1/250s exposure } – { ISO 200 }

The big curve just before you reach Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park
The big curve just before you reach Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park

Don’t Get Distracted Looking at Half Dome

Yosemite National Park is filled with curvy roads, though none are as intense as the one bringing visitors thousands of feet up into the clouds to gawk at Half Dome, Nevada Falls and the whole of Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point.

Having previously experienced Yosemite on a clear and blue day, I was thrilled to find it gray, cloudy and full of snow on a recent early-June trip. I also became quite obsessed with finding the perfect bend in the road to take a moody photograph featuring a very unique look at Ansel’s favorite place.

I stopped a few times here and there and snapped a few shots, but nothing could prepare me for the view from the final and sharpest curve before arriving at the Glacier Point parking lot.

With a foggy Half Dome looming in the distance, snow on the side of the road and the black asphalt glistening in hazy sun, the only answer was to break out my 10.5mm fisheye lens and begin shooting.

 

View more fine art photography from Yosemite National Park

The big curve just before you reach Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park
A much sunnier version of the curve before reaching Glacier Point, with Half Dome and Yosemite Valley in the distance