Horsetail Fall at 5:34 p.m. yesterday
It’s been quite dry in Yosemite since December, but there’s still some snow on top of El Capitan, and I thought that the warming weather over the last few days would melt some of that snow and increase the water flow in Horsetail Fall. But the flow is still disappointingly meager. I had a chance to photograph Horsetail last night, and I would say the water level is about the same as last year. The accompanying photograph was made from the Southside Drive area at about 5:30 p.m. yesterday. What water there is gets nicely highlighted when the light is just right, especially near the bottom of the fall, but… I wish the flow was better.
With low water like this I think the Southside Drive spot (Location 10 in my Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite book and iPhone app) works a little better than Rowell’s View near the El Capitan picnic area along Northside Drive (Location 1). From Southside Drive you’re a little further away, and you can see a bit more of the bottom of Horsetail Fall, which is the part that shows up best with conditions like this.
It’s supposed to be warm again today, so that might help increase the flow, but then temperatures are expected to trend downward tomorrow and Monday. On Tuesday forecasters are predicting the arrival of a snowstorm, which is expected to leave even colder air in its wake. The bad news is that the colder temperatures will slow down the flow in Horsetail Fall. The good news is that… a snowstorm is coming! And that, of course, brings the possibility of photographing snowy trees and cliffs, and maybe a clearing storm.
Even without snow there are always plenty of other things to photograph in Yosemite besides Horsetail Fall. I’ve found lots of interesting frost and ice lately; I’ve included a couple of recent examples below.
Whether you’re photographing Horsetail Fall or something else, good luck, and have fun out there!
— Michael Frye
Frost on California black oaks, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
Ice formation along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA. Under certain conditions a polarizing filter can create rainbow effects in ice — a technique my friend Mike Osborne showed me.
Related Posts: Latest Horsetail Conditions; Horsetail Fall Questions
Michael — love that rainbow ice! Thanks & say, ‘hi’ to Ozzy for me!
Thanks Monika, and I will say hi to Oz. Or maybe he’ll actually read this! 🙂
Cool colors!!
Thanks Patti!
Good updates, Michael! Thanks for keeping us up-to-date.
I was posting in another forum about the ancillary benefits sometimes derived from a good ‘Horsetail Year.’ To wit:
“A good “Horsetail Year” can also be quite lucrative.
In addition to selling dozens of prints over the years, here is a link to one of our many Horsetail photos sold as a book cover to illustrate the work of French philosopher, intellectual and Sorbonne professor, Henry Corbin. The editor thought the scene of Horsetail Fall very aptly illustrated the mysticism described in the author’s work.”
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Man-Light-Iranian-Sufism/dp/0930872487/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361042332&sr=1-1&keywords=the+man+of+light
Chuck, you’re welcome, and congratulations on your book cover. But to anyone else who’s reading, I’ll caution you against thinking that getting Horsetail Fall photos is the path to fame and fortune. Most (obviously not all) photo editors and buyers have already seen thousands of Horsetail Fall photos, so they’re a tough sell.
Michael
What technique did you use to get that ice shot? its beautiful (I see the exif data), but besides the polarizer and getting low, does the sun have to be in a certain position?
Alan, the prism effect with the polarizer can happen at all kinds of angles. Just a slight change in your position will change or move the effect. The ice has to be relatively transparent, but other than that I don’t know if there is any specific criteria. This was made in the shade, but I’ve also seen this effect when the sun was hitting the ice. You just have to get out a polarizer and look!
Keep up the great work. You inspire us along with feeding us perfect information on the park. THANKS!
Thanks Doug — I’ll try!
Michael, We just returned from Yosemite for one overnight to shoot the fire fall which we did Sunday Feb. 17th. Although the atmosphere was clear, I didn’t see any water at all flowing from the falls! I shot from Rowell’s View area. It did provide a sweet heart shape of light though which turned golden and then orange against the darker rock surface, but no where near the firey effect you managed a few days ago. Do you think the Southside area is a better angle to shoot from? Also I am wondering if the fire fall effect has happened earlier, like as early as January, when there was possibly more water flowing. Seems like there were many more successful photographs shot earlier. Would love to know for next time. Thanks!
BTW I visited your exhibit one day late at Ansel Adams Gallery. Beautiful work as always, and very inspiring! So sad I missed the opening reception since I would have loved meeting you in person.
Carol, as I said above, yes, I think the Southside area is better if the water is low. As for January, as I’ve talked about many times on this blog, there is only a short window for the best light on Horsetail Fall, and it’s from about February 16th through 23rd. Yes, there could be more water flowing in January, but in most years there’s more water in February. But regardless of water flow, the light is not nearly as good in January. It doesn’t get as much color, and, more importantly, it doesn’t have that shadow behind the fall that makes the water stand out so dramatically.
Glad you enjoyed the exhibit, and sorry I didn’t get to meet you!
Hi Michael,
My friend and I will be up there this weekend(Friday through Sunday). Should be some interesting weather.
We’re going to try and make it over to the museum on Friday.
Doug
Well I hope there is some interesting weather this weekend Doug, and hope you make it to the museum.
Michael,
Im headed up the hill this weekend to give this a go. Im wondering about photographing from Turtle Rock. Any comments or feedback from that location?
Thank you so much for all your instruction, it’s much appreciated =))
You’re welcome Lynette, and thanks for the kind words. I’m not familiar with Turtle Rock. Do you mean Turtleback Dome?
Hi Michael,
Your Ipad app is a great guide to Yesomite photography. I used it extensively over the weekend. And actually I saw you at three Brothers last Sunday morning. If there is snow storm coming, I’m sure to head back to the valley. Please keep your blog updated, very informative. Thanks.
Thanks! I’m glad you found the app helpful. Sorry I didn’t get to say hello at Three Brothers.
Hi Michael,
Thx for the info on your blog. I went to Horsetail yesterday (25 Feb) and set up by the river on Southside Dr with about 20 other folks. Flow was pretty low, but as a meterologist, I correctly forecasted a cloud-free sunset! Took lots of pics, so at least one is sure to turn out! Afterwards, when driving out, it looks like I missed a good opportunity for a cloud capped half-dome at sunset…
Glad you got to photograph Horsetail Joe, even though the water was low.
I too really took advantage of your good advice on the iPad app, although we didn’t get to the best spot to photograph Horsetail Falls because of parking issues.
Now that the fire fall experience seems to be in the past, I am now interested in pursuing the Hite Cove wildflowers to photograph. Will you be updating your blog for progress on the blooms? For us far away, it’s difficult to tell just when to plan a trip up there. Do you think the poppies will be in bloom by third week in March? Also if you can comment on the parking situation for that place as well….we saw No Parking signs along the highway across from the Savage place and trail entrance.
Thanks as always!
Thanks for writing Carol, and I’m glad the app helped. I’m surprised you had parking issues, since the park service has closed lanes for parking at both of the main spots.
It’s hard to say what kind of wildflower year it will be. Last year was great, and it’s unusual to have two good years in a row, plus it’s been quite dry. If flowers start blooming in significant numbers I will of course post something on my blog. If there is a bloom the third week of March is a good guess as far as timing, but there’s really no telling at this point.
There is parking across the street — just not directly across. Shouldn’t be a problem unless it’s a crowded weekend.
Chances of seeing the spectacle at Horsetail Fall this week?
Lyle, there’s just not much water in Horsetail, and there hasn’t been much all month. And the window of best light is going, going, pretty much gone. The light is still good, but the color is not as intense.
Here’s just how dry the Sierra is this year:
“If February concludes without additional storms — and none are expected — the northern Sierra will have seen 2.2 inches of precipitation in January and February, the least since record-keeping began in the region in 1921.”
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/27/5220561/california-starts-year-with-record.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region
— Sylvia, who shot Horse Tail Falls with a bit of water and good color on Feb. 17, and the next day there was nada
Well that’s a depressing story Sylvia — thanks for sharing! 🙂 Seriously though, we really need some moisture. I was pleasantly surprised to see some precipitation appear in our long-term forecast today. It doesn’t look like we’re going to get dumped on, but every bit helps.
I don’t think the water level in Horsetail Fall has fluctuated much since I photographed it on Feb. 15th. That is, the water is low, but it hasn’t dried up. If you didn’t see any water the next day it’s probably because it was windy and the wind blew the little bit of water off the top.