Portfolio review: a weekend in Yosemite Park

Brandon Yoshizawa spends the weekend in Yosemite National Park and comes away with some incredible images

My photographs of Yosemite are designed to represent winter in the national park. It’s a magical time of year. The storms make the weather unpredictable and at times frustrating, but when conditions line up just right, the foggy mood mixed with the snow-capped peaks make for some amazing photos. I only had one weekend in the park so I had to move quickly to capture everything I wanted.

Light on Yosemite Valley [1] was shot while waiting for the famous Firefall event, when the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the upper reaches of the waterfall. The sun was casting some amazing shadows across the valley floor, so I hiked above the tree line in order to capture this angle. I was willing to wait out the bad weather to capture my shot during the first sign of it clearing, and it’s what I needed to get that perfect photo.

Yosemite Reflection [2] came about after a sudden storm in the park, which left behind this pool of water

to give a picture-perfect reflection of Yosemite Falls. I had to be flexible because of my limited time there, so I took advantage of the fresh water and made use of it photographically.

Bridalveil into Mist [3] was taken after a night of rain. The fog was in the perfect spot, making it seem as if the falls were descending into the mist. It was also at a perfect height so that only the top of the trees were visible.

Something I learned very quickly was to become adaptable. If thick fog is filling the valley floor, it may be wise to visit a location above the tree line, such as Tunnel View. If the Merced River is calm, going down to the valley floor to catch reflections in the river may be a good idea.

I did miss quite a few opportunities and if I had more time at each location, I may have been able to capture shots with more dramatic light. However, these shots portray my vision in capturing Yosemite in the winter – one of the most beautiful places I’ve had the chance to visit.

I was willing to wait out the bad weather to capture my shot during the first sign of it clearing

mainly due to its overexposure. Stopping down to get the sun exposed correctly would’ve cast the rest of the scene into darkness, so you made the right choice on exposure here – but we’d also like to see a version where you’ve used a longer lens and framed out the sun.

Being adaptable is always favourable when shooting landscapes, especially if you’re only visiting the location briefly. You did amazingly well to get down to the water’s edge and capture the incredible reflection in the second image [2]. It’s full of drama, with the mountain bursting through the valley fog. You’ve managed to capture not one, not two, but four waterfalls due to the reflection in the water. Excellent composition on the bottom: if the mountain had been just a touch closer to the edge of the frame it would’ve felt a little jarring, but as it is you’ve emphasized the symmetry of the water.

Yosemite has its fair share of waterfalls, but capturing the image

[3] where the waterfall seems to be filling up the valley is outstanding. Probably our favourite of the three images, it has strong composition with foreground, mid-ground and background interest. It leads our eyes all the way through the frame from bottom to top, and even has contrasting colours of oranges, blues and greens. The orange tree-line in the bottom of the frame parallels the warm tones in the rock in the top. We’d like to see what you could do with a week or two there…