Yosemite is a great park to photograph any time of day, although working with light just before or after the sun is rising or setting can often lead to really impressive and colorful images. Here are three tips to guide you.
Sunrise at Yosemite's Valley View Pullout
Andre Costantini
1. Plan ahead
Plan out your location for sunrise and sunset. Remember all locations for the park are not ideal for both of these.
2. Scout It Out
Sunrise and sunset times often do not account for the huge granite formations in the park, so scout out your location to make sure you don’t miss the moment. You can use apps like Photo Pils to determine the actual location of the sun from your smartphone.
3. Choose your Lens
For most locations in the park, a nice wide angle to mid telephoto lens is ideal for landscape images. (focal lengths around 17mm for full frame and go to around 100mm). Any longer telephotos lenses are mainly useful if you are trying to capture wildlife.
Shot Details
Sunset at Glacier Point in Yosemite
Andre Costantini
Time: Sunset, Oct. 18, 2018
Location: Glacier Point Overlook in Yosemite National Park
Pro tips: For sunsets always arrive early and stay late. This will give you time to figure out where you want to be and get your desired location and also give you time to watch the light. Although you can never predict exactly what the light will do, you need to be ready if and when something happens.
Settings: Nikon 810 Tamron 17-35 F2.8-4.0 ISO 320 F5.6 1/160th
