Yosemite National Park – Part 2

My online research suggested that Tunnel View at sunrise was a favorite Yosemite NP location for many photographers.  I had not been happy with my evening photography at Tunnel View, so I decided to try again at sunrise.

I knew that this would require photographing directly into the rising sun and would be a challenge for getting a good exposure and timing would be critical for catching the first glimpse of the sun as it rose over the horizon.

The evening prior, I had shot with a 24-70mm lens, which did not let me acquire much detail of the distant rock features.  So I opted to use my 80-400mm lens with a 1.4x extension at sunrise.

The sky was totally clear this morning, which was a disappointment, since the sky would be bland and uninteresting.  Largely due to that bland sky, I converted the only reasonably good images I got this morning to monochrome.

Pre-Sunrise Monochrome at Tunnel View, Yosemite NP

I say pre-sunrise, only because the sun had not shown itself above the horizon that I see, but it is obviously already above the horizon behind this view.

The shadows in the sky cast by some of these rock features was a pleasant surprise and add interest to that bland sky.  I especially like that dark streak radiating from the peak of Half Dome.

Aug13, 2024
Sunrise at Tunnel View, Yosemite NP

The sun rose at the right edge of Half Dome and this is the best image that I captured.  I could have used software to enhance the sun’s starburst and brought up the shadows a bit more, but I like this more natural look, except for the bright halo behind the sun, which is a highlight that I could not avoid.

Until next time,

Ken

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