Picture Story
The Firefall is a spectacular natural phenomenon that occurs in Yosemite National Park in California, USA. For a few weeks each year in late February, the setting sun casts a bright orange and red glow on Horsetail Fall, a seasonal waterfall on the eastern side of El Capitan. This effect makes it appear as if the waterfall was flowing with fire, hence the name Firefall.
The event has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it is not uncommon for thousands of people to visit the park during the Firefall season in February.
To manage the crowds and protect the park's resources, Yosemite National Park began implementing a reservation system for day-use visitors during the Firefall event in 2021. The reservation system limits the number of visitors to the park daily and requires visitors to book a reservation in advance to enter the park during the Firefall season.
One of my friends had a reservation to enter the park during the season this year but unfortunately came down with Covid at the last moment. He transferred his reservation to me, and another friend made our way to Yosemite National Park this year. On the way to the park, we stopped at Tunnel View to capture a few quick images during sunset. We checked into Curry Village late in the evening and prepared to photograph the Firefall the next day.
To ensure a good viewing experience, we went to the meadows opposite El Capitan right after noon. There were a few photographers already over there, and we struck up quite a few interesting conversations! As the sun set a few hours later, Horsetail falls became backlit and started to glow like embers.
We captured quite a few images of the Firefall, but this is my favourite. It is a multiple-exposure blend of 5 bracketed exposures to balance the light in the sky, the granite peak and the glowing waterfall. Light editing was subsequently done, including some burning and dodging to highlight the waterfall.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor