08/08/2023
It's quite a blessing to live near one of the most sought after National Park in the country.
Being just 100 miles away, I've have made this place my refuge when I needed space to clear my mind.
As usual, I quickly gathered my gear, threw on some clothes, swung my jacket over my shoulder, and was on the road before 9pm.
A hour and half later, after miles of curvy mountainous roads, I finally pulled up and parked.
Surprisingly, there wasn't many people around, as this place is usually packed with late night photographers and travelers sitting around in awe of the night skies.
It was quiet; it was dark.
I didn't pack my headlamp since both of them were in the other car, so with the aid of my phone, I dimmly lit the way.
Through the years, majority of all my photos have been taken here at Yosemite. During those trips, I've met alot of different people from many places too. The night I took these were no different.
As I walked along, I ended up startling two shadowy individuals who were gazing up at the night sky. Macy and Zach were their names. Both were from Seattle, on a mission to check off a few National Parks on their bucket list.
That night were their first time ever seeing the Milky Way as the region they were from had too much light pollution. We stood for awhile, talking parks, travel, trails, and movies.
As if it wasn't late enough, we finally parted ways since they had to drive an hour north back to their hotel. Lassen Volcanic National Park was their next destination after resting.
Alone now, I sat for a brief moment to decompress and fill my lungs with crisp mountain air, scented with a hint of pine and shrubs. No one else was out tonight to take photographs, which made me pretty happy. Trying to find an open spot on a busy night is chaotic as long exposure photography and bright headlamps don't go hand in hand, resulting in many annoyed photographers.
I had free rein of every area to compose my camera and images.
So for the next 2 hours I took images after images, attempting to nail the focus and exposure. The few images below are the ones that I felt were presentable out of the bunch.
Amazing images? Probably not, as there are plenty of admirable images taken here by photographers way beyond my creative skills but these, I can call them mine.
It just felt great to be back out since my last late night trip here was in 2017.
About the images:
These were taken between 12 midnight and 1am. I wanted to get set up in time to catch the moon breaking through the darkness.
The light source you're seeing is our bright moon, cutting and shaping every ridge and valley in it's path.
In the shadows, you can spot two famous waterfalls, Vernal and Nevada Falls.
The tiny specks of light near them are hikers venturing up the trails in the dark of night.
The photos doesn't do the scene justice.
This is miles after miles of wilderness compressed into a single frame.
The scale is unfathomably and worth very view in person. If you haven't been, it's worth a trip. You won't regret it!
📸 Logic Vang Photography
