Thanks to the accurate prediction of Sunrise-Sunset Forecasts Photographic Service by ccnbbc@WeChat, we captured this dramatic scene in Yosemite valley in the morning of November 6, 2021.
As a pre-caution to avoid Covid-19 exposure, we did not go to the now-always-crowded Tunnel View. Moreover, we always feel that Tunnel View does not provide a balanced composition for El Capitan and Half Dome since these two iconic landscape features are separated too far away from each other. In this view, these two giant rocks are much closer. One drawback of this composition is that Bridalveil Fall is blocked by the mountain on the right side of the composition. However, since it was the dry season, Bridalveil Fall was short of water anyway.
National Park Service was conducting controlled fire to reduce the amount of dry plants on the valley floor, a major source of fuel to wild fires across California during the past years. The fire created a thin layer of slightly blueish smoke near the entrance of the valley, adding to the atmosphere that photographers can only dream to have.
