pin_the_tail

pin the tail ... bill langton

During the last two weeks of February, the setting sun back lights Horsetail Falls, on the east buttress of El Capitan, producing a beautiful, natural "firefall". Made popular in a photograph by the late Galen Rowell, many photographers come each year to try and find the right combination of water flow, clear skies and warm sunset light to produce their own "firefall" image.

In dry winters, the ephemeral Horsetail Falls is dry - cold years, frozen, or more commonly, shrouded in clouds and not visible. For the past week or so, that was the case - cloudy with snow. Also, due to the continued cold temps, the snow above was not melting as quickly so the water flow was light.

But - since Monday (2/20) had dawned crystal clear, all was looking quite promising - until the clouds moved in during the afternoon. I found myself, along with several other photographers, at a popular viewpoint along the Merced River near Sentinel Beach waiting to see if all the necessary elements were going to fall into place. Although it was quite cloudy, the sun managed to keep peeking through and lighting the falls. We all hoped it would hold until the last light of the day - that beautiful warm light that turns the falls a deep reddish orange. Unfortunately, as the light got warmer, and the angle got better, the clouds moved in and blocked it from the falls. About the time we had all decided to pack up for the evening, the last hint of warm, light from the central valley of California peeked through the clouds and the thin wisp of water flowing over the rocks turned a crimson red. This light lasted for maybe 30 seconds and then it was dark...

Some friends of mine were able to make it down there on Friday and found similar conditions - except clear. Unfortunately, even with warming temps this week, the flow was quite minimal. But - at least a bunch of us were able to see it and photograph it this year. As we all know, many years EVERYONE gets skunked.

We are supposed to get hammered the next week with a series of warm storms - the old Pineapple Express - with snow levels up around 8500 feet. They are already putting out flood warnings for the Truckee, Carson and Walker rivers. I'm not sure that we will see that bad of conditions though as we just do not have that much snow pack to melt down low. It has been a great winter up high with plenty of snow pack but at lake level and here in Truckee, the ground is basically bare. I would normally have 3-5 feet of snow on the ground here at my home at the end of February and we literally have less than a foot. Of course, I'm not complaining too much - as you remember, much easier to shovel rain than snow :-)

Comment

There are always two schools of thought on any subject. Photography is certainly no exception. No matter what we photograph, or how well we photograph it, there is always going to be someone that has done it more and better. The more usually will lead to the better but the better is subjective in nature and opinion. Does the world need yet another image of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley? Do you need another image of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley? Are these questions one and the same?

I'll let you answer this question for yourself because I'm sure it's already been asked and answered several times in your mind. I've done the same and my answer is very simple to see in my photographs. Yes! At the time when the moment struck I was sure that I needed another image. My only question was how good I could make that new image. The question of the world needing it? I think I'll leave that for it to decide :-)

To "pin the tail on the horse" is a game I keep playing. Having one image ... any image of horsetail is more reward than any of us expect, but as Bill explains, the adventure is in the hunt and the hunt seems to continue whether the world is ready or not!

You can see more of Bill Langton's great work on his website.

Check all the current workshops

View the DVD series Steve Kossack Photographing the Great American Landscape

Want to contribute articles and images to our website?

Your comments are always welcome. f8andbethere@cableone.net