Yosemite from Artist's Point

[Travis Rhoads]

The first evening of my Yosemite trip back in 2015 I had planned to hike up to Artist's Point. I wanted the Valley View, without the Tunnel View Overlook crowd. We had already experienced that earlier in the day, and it was not something I really wanted to repeat! So we arrived well before sunset, to overcast skies. NOt to be discouraged, we made the hike up anyway. Despite the grumblings of my friends, once we arrived at Artist's Point, they soon realized why I wanted to shoot from up there. We had it to ourselves. Just the three of us...and maybe a flask or two...

With the overcast skies, I mostly worked on some long exposures, playing with the patterns of light in the clouds. This image was my favorite from that timeframe.

Canon 5DMkII | Canon EF 17-40L | Lee Big Stopper and 3 Stop | 275 Seconds @ f/9, ISO 50
TheValley by Travis Rhoads, on Flickr

And then all of a sudden...magic happened. We started to see some sun hitting the top of El Capitan, the heart started to race and the adrenaline started to flow. For the few minutes that it took to light up El Cap, we were giddy, firing shots trying to capture the right mix of light.

Canon 5DMkII | Canon EF 17-40L | .8 Seconds @ f/11, ISO 50
Capitan'sCrown-F by Travis Rhoads, on Flickr

And then the afterglow...it was just a special way to end the day in Yosemite.

Canon 5DMkII | Canon EF 17-40L| 8 Seconds @ f/22, ISO 50
LateLightShow by Travis Rhoads, on Flickr

I really can't wait to go back...its been nearly two years, and I think about it all the time...

 

[Ben Egbert]

These are really nice Travis. I especially like the second one.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Travis,

A nice series here. It's fun seeing the change in light. There is definitely something magical when the light from the setting sun works its way up El Capitan and Half Dome. And that area is one to never put your camera away just because the sun has set, most often there is a wonderful glow that can develop more often then not there too.

Artists Point is a very nice alternative. I like Inspiration Point also, though Inspiration Point has more issues with trees blocking your view, though there is an area or two where some clear shots can be taken.

Jim

 

[BarryHamilton]

Lovely view indeed! I really like the soft light mood in the last.

 

[AlanLichty]

Nice time to be where you were for this set. I hate to choose between images like these but the last one keeps me coming back for another look.

 

[Ryan10]

Awesome! Great payoff. Even after a couple beers, I've learned I forget to adjust various settings, so I don't mix photography and alcohol anymore. lol.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Awesome! Great payoff. Even after a couple beers, I've learned I forget to adjust various settings, so I don't mix photography and alcohol anymore. lol.

I'm right there with you! No drinking until after the last shot is in the can.

I think I like the second one best, although I'd be tempted to take a little off the top (probably to where you can see that blue horizontal line in the sky). I agree about the peace of shooting at artist point (or inspiration) to avoid the nonsense at tunnel view.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

These are really nice Travis. I especially like the second one.

Thank you Ben. #2 is a classic view, and one I like a lot too.

Hey Travis,

A nice series here. It's fun seeing the change in light. There is definitely something magical when the light from the setting sun works its way up El Capitan and Half Dome. And that area is one to never put your camera away just because the sun has set, most often there is a wonderful glow that can develop more often then not there too.

Artists Point is a very nice alternative. I like Inspiration Point also, though Inspiration Point has more issues with trees blocking your view, though there is an area or two where some clear shots can be taken.

Jim

Hey Jim, thanks! The change of light over the time we were there was fun...when the light finally started to hit, we were a little giddy...it was good times with great friends.

I have often heard that Artist's Point and Inspiration Point are one and the same, but I thought that they were two separate places...which is correct?

Lovely view indeed! I really like the soft light mood in the last.

Thanks Barry!

Nice time to be where you were for this set. I hate to choose between images like these but the last one keeps me coming back for another look.

No need to choose, but we all end up with a favorite, and for different reasons. The last one was late, and I almost didn't edit that one...but the light was just too good to not work on it. Thanks for the feedback.

Awesome! Great payoff. Even after a couple beers, I've learned I forget to adjust various settings, so I don't mix photography and alcohol anymore. lol.

Thanks Ryan! HAHA...yeah, I typically don't mix the two things...but on this trip...it was not just about photography, it was also about time spent with old friends that I don't get to see nearly as often as I would like...so sometimes the two things get to overlap.

I'm right there with you! No drinking until after the last shot is in the can.

I think I like the second one best, although I'd be tempted to take a little off the top (probably to where you can see that blue horizontal line in the sky). I agree about the peace of shooting at artist point (or inspiration) to avoid the nonsense at tunnel view.

Thank you Kyle. I think Jim made that same comment when these were originally posted several years ago, and I tried it out...it was ok for me, but didn't really care for it as much...

 

[JimFox]

Artists point and Inspiration point are two separate spots. You can go to both from the same starting location, the Tunnel View parking area. Inspiration Point ends up being almost directly behind the Tunnel View location but just up way higher. It's got a lot more trees, which is fine if you want to add some foreground interest, but if not, it's harder to find a clear view of the valley. Artist Point ends up going the other way, it goes more to the east as it climbs, so that's why you end up almost losing Half Dome in the shot because it starts to get blocked. Artist Point though does have a clearer shooting area, so there is that benefit.

Jim