Horsetail Falls – Yosemite Landscape Photographer

This past weekend we went to Southern California to photograph an engagement session. After we were done we traveled through Yosemite to capture an event that only happens a couple days of the year. Horsetail Falls only exists in the beginning of the year due to extra snow melt, and rain. A couple weeks out of the year at sunset the sun is at the right level to illuminate the falls. What makes it a more difficult shot is that it has to be clear of clouds for it to occur. In February and early March, that can be hard to come by.

We checked the weather report all week long. The morning before we went up there we checked it again and it said it would be clear. So we headed to Yosemite for the day, just for this photo. We got there in the afternoon. We brought our two Alaskan Malamute dogs with us. While we waited for the sun to set, we let our dogs get some exercise in the snow. A few weeks ago we let them run around in the snow in Colfax California. That was something we hadn’t done since they were puppies. This time though, it was like they were naturals in the snow.

As the sun began to drop, clouds decided to accumulate. A few drops of rain could be felt. So much for the weather man’s prediction of it being 100% sunny. We almost left an hour prior to sunset because the clouds were so thick. However we decided to wait it out. At 5:40 the sun broke through for just a few moments so that we could capture this event. I’ve seen better shots than the one we took, but for now it is what we got. Had it been totally clear like it was suppose to be, it would have been way better. Anyway, I guess we will wait in anticipation for next year. Maybe next time the weather man will be correct, however I only give him a 10% chance of correctly predicting the weather. Here is a shot of what we got.