Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, and Bridalveil Fall after a snowstorm, Yosemite NP, February 9th, 2009
Clearing Winter Storm is my favorite Ansel Adams photograph. To me it captures the majesty and grandeur of Yosemite Valley like no other image.
(I wish I could show the photograph here, but I’d violate copyright laws in doing so. You can click this link to see Clearing Winter Storm. The image shown here is one of mine that was made on February 9th, 2009.)
The funny thing is, no one knows when this famous image was made. Ansel had a notoriously bad memory for dates, and various years have been given by him and others for this photograph, ranging from 1935 to 1944. In his book Examples, Ansel wrote that the image “came about on an early December day,” but again, his memory was not particularly reliable about such things.
A couple of years ago, Don Olson contacted me about dating this photograph. Don is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Texas State University, and he and his colleagues have used the position of the moon to find the precise date and time that Ansel captured two images: Moon and Half Dome, and Autumn Moon, the High Sierra From Glacier Point.
But there’s no moon or other celestial body visible in Clearing Winter Storm, which makes dating this photograph more difficult. When Don contacted me he wanted to know if the lighting in Clearing Winter Storm was consistent with Ansel’s statement that the image was made in early December. And my answer was no. In the photograph it appears that sunlight is striking Bridalveil Fall, and I told him that I didn’t think that Bridalveil Fall received any sunlight in December.
But I’m not 100% certain about this. I can’t remember seeing sunlight ever hit Bridalveil Fall in December, but then I’ve never sat and watched it all afternoon on a sunny December day to make sure. There may be a brief window in the early afternoon when the low winter sun slides between rock pinnacles on the south rim of Yosemite Valley and glances across the waterfall.
I searched through my files and found images with the sun striking Bridalveil in early February (like the photograph above), but not earlier in the winter. However, just because I don’t have a photograph of light hitting Bridalvel in December doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
So we need your help in solving this little mystery! I know a lot of my readers are regular visitors to Yosemite, and if you’ve captured a photograph that shows sunlight hitting Bridalveil Fall in December we’d like to see it. For that matter, we’d like to see photographs that show sunlight striking anywhere near Bridalveil Fall in December, including below the fall, to the left of it, or above it somewhere on Cathedral Rocks. The image doesn’t have to be from Tunnel View; it just has to include Bridalveil Fall or the western side of Cathedral Rocks.
If you have such an image, and it’s already online somewhere, you can post a link to it in the comments. Or you can email a JPEG of it to me, but please keep the file size small to start with — no more than 800 pixels on the long side.
If you send or link to a photograph, please note the date and time the image was made, and be sure that this information is accurate! I know it’s easy to have the wrong date and time set in your camera. However, the image may still be helpful if it has the wrong time, as long as you’re sure the date is correct.
Thanks in advance for your help! I’ll let you know what we find out.
— Michael Frye
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
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Michael, in the same issue of Outdoor Photographer that features your fall photo tips (Oct 2013), there’s a reference to The Photographer’s Ephemeris. photoephemeris.com Might be helpful with this.
Thanks Sylvia. I have The Photographer’s Ephemeris, and it can’t give precise enough information about a vertical cliff face, like the one hosting Bridalveil Fall, to be helpful here.
I’m going to plead some ignorance here, but don’t copyrights end after 75 years? If so, that 1935-1944 date would be important. I’m sure the Ansel Adams family would like to push it as late as possible.
Rick, I don’t know exactly how the copyright law works in this case either, but I’m not sure it would help us date the photo.
I’ve some from last week of Nov 2010. If you are interested, I can fwd those links. However, I’m not familiar with the geography of the park as much so if you’re interested, pls. also tell me the landmarks that you want to see in the photograph, like Tunnel view, El Capitan, Bridevail Falls and so forth.
Thanks Abhijit. Photographs from the last week of November might help. As I said above, we’re interested in seeing photographs that show sunlight on Bridalveil Fall, or on Cathedral Rocks next to or above Bridalveil Fall. If you have images that fit that description, please forward the links.
Tunnel View: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhijitsarkarphotography/9792715144
El Capitan? http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhijitsarkarphotography/9792714514
El Capitan? http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhijitsarkarphotography/9792715794
Yosemite Falls (or Bridal Veils?): http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhijitsarkarphotography/8684989066
Unknown: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhijitsarkarphotography/8684988986
I also have a Half Dome which you didn’t mention so I’m leaving out. Hope it helps.
Thanks Abhijit. The Tunnel View image is helpful, as it shows sunlight hitting just to the left of Bridalveil Fall. Can you tell me what time that photograph was taken? BTW, you’re correct about the other locations. The next two images are indeed of El Capitan, and then Yosemite Falls (not Bridalveil). Your “unknown” location shows the Ahwahnee Meadow, Upper Yosemite Fall, and part of Yosemite Point, among other things.
Acc. to LR and adjusting for the timezone difference, the photo was made around 2:22 PM on Nov 28, 2010. Thank you for identifying the “unknown” location for me.
Probably not helpful, but December 20, 2008 at 3:43pm:
http://www.erikdresser.com/landscapes/california/hf9a4a7b#hf9a4a7b
I may have an outtake on an external drive.
Actually that might be helpful Erik, thanks. I’ll let you know if we want to see the outtake, but no need to go digging it up at this point.
My shot was the latter part of winter than earlier. Maybe this will help.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pendeho/9795131024/
Thanks Rene. It might help at some point.
These were from 12/27, a few minutes after 12pm. Barely any sunlight on the rocks next to the falls. I hope this helps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/super_g/9795820844/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/super_g/9795804825/in/photostream/
Thanks Tim! For some reason I can’t get the second photo to load, but the first one helps.
Here are several links to photos I made in Yosemite in the February time frame that put light in a position to strike Bridalveil as well . . . I agree Ansel’s shot looks more to be from this time frame.
https://plus.google.com/photos/101346514804541774366/albums/5580079150600393617/5580988828369590722?partnerid=ogpy0&authkey=CKrPkLDXj5K5WQ&pid=5580988828369590722&oid=101346514804541774366
Make note of the following Infrared photo, The angle of light can be seen distinctly in this photo, shot from tunnel view area. Rough time was between 11 ~ 1 PM, Late Feb, approximately 26th.
https://plus.google.com/photos/101346514804541774366/albums/5680851250274138449/5680851868258727442?partnerid=ogpy0&pid=5680851868258727442&oid=101346514804541774366
Hope it helps, good luck on dating it, enjoy the Blog, keep us posted on the burn area for future flowers.
regards
Tim
Tim, thanks for sending the links to your photos — I appreciate that. Yes, I think Clearing Winter Storm was probably made in February, maybe even March, but we’ll see.
Hi Michael,
Does the flow of water over Bridalveil give any clue? There seems to be more water flow than in yours. I realize the amount of precipitation varies, but that might be a clue too.
Best,
Vivienne
I just looked again…hard to tell if there is more flow…but something to think about?
Thanks for this suggestion Vivienne. The amount of water in Bridalveil is a clue that would seem to indicate that CWS was made later in the winter, when there’s typically more water in the fall. But there can be early winter storms that increase the water level, so that in itself isn’t definitive.
Very nice forensics mystery! I’ve had that Adams photo right in front of me (between keyboard and screen) at my desk at work for many years. They date it 1944 but give the copyright as 1993, so the Ansel Adams Trust might have renewed it at that time. Anyway, looking at my small 5×7 print, the light is so diffuse that it’s hard to see the light’s angle, but it certainly doesn’t look like “early” in the day. Have the Texans already figured out the sun’s angle in the image?
It is indeed a nice little mystery John! It’s well known that the 1944 date is probably wrong. The Texans have not tried to figure out the sun’s angle yet, but looking at a bigger reproduction it’s clear that the sun was coming from the right, or quartering over Ansel’s right shoulder. Early- or mid-afternoon probably, and I’d say probably in February rather than December.