*Let me do a quick preface here. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in international travel again. This is not a complaining post, but moreso a slightly funny topic that I think not enough photographers talk about.
Recently we took a 4 day weekend to see the elusive firefall in Yosemite National Park.
Day 1 - It begins.
After a relatively smooth trip in to San Fran, the traffic hit us harder than a Monday shot of espresso. This found us trying to SCRAMBLE to see the falls with somehow being almost 1hour behind schedule. Not only that, but once darkness fell we slightly lost our footing finding our car due to said scramble.
No firefall.
We got to our camp spot, an unheated yurt which was incredibly colder than we anticipated. As we flew in we didn't have our usual gear and froze the entire night.
Day 2 - Rollercoaster.
Day 2 our spirits were low but the beauty of Tunnel view certainly helped. I knew Yosemite was going to be busy, this was not a relaxing trip but more to see the beautiful sites. I embraced it as much as my introverted self could.
The hike we were planning to go to for firefall day 2 was a mess. We could not find the elusive trail and help was not being well received (even though I always try to be kind and help people with backcountry hikes.. alas). We were down spirited yet again.. but found an alternate view ,cracked a wine, and still enjoyed the view.
Instead of staying at the campsite freezing again we booked a room at a hotel we were going to be staying at for the end of our trip and they got us in early. A warm night and some warm food and the laughs started to roll in. The simple things really make life great.
Day 3 -Acceptance
We found ourselves shooting some lovely light in the valley after a great warm rest. Again not alone but felt more quiet this day. We hiked around, enjoyed some yummy snacks, and headed for some low hanging fruit spots for firefall.
Except.. I wouldn't call it firefall. More like "fire donut" due to low water at this time. Again we cracked a little vino and just tried to soak the experience up for what it was.
I feel I am self aware enough to see how funny our problems look on the outside and laugh. This was a big lesson for my partner who was really built up on seeing firefall with the right conditions at the right time. Expectations in life lead to self-created disappointment. I not only love photography but I love personal development. It was a great experience watching someone internally learn and adjust their perspective real time as my partner did.
All in all it was a beautiful trip, but I can't help but laugh at some of our shortcomings (not all mentioned here). Sometimes photo missions are like that, and it's okay. Let's talk about it.
Did I mention we got a flat tire on the highway back to the airport and barely were able to pull over alive? The universe really had fun with us this long weekend.
Still working on the astrophotography we managed to get this trip however, stay tuned!
Until next time.
Who has a funny photo adventure story?
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It is a waterfall that reflects the sunset? Or maybe just the way the rocks light up at sunset? Why is it called firefall? And thanks for sharing the story. Even with difficulties, it looks like a fun time and good memories were made.
Oh such great questions! I should have included that in the post :). Yes, it's called "firefall" as the sun hits the waterfall creating this orange streak, firefall like image! Yes absolutely!
My understanding is that at a certain time of year the sunset light illuminates a specific waterfall in Yosemite and it looks like flowing lava instead of water. Very cool phenomenon that is covetted by many to photograph.
Yep you got it ;) ! Ours was pretty minimal
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BEER.You won’t be forgetting that trip in a hurry! But at least you backed it up with some epic shots of Yosemite! It’s such a special place!
Really wish I didn’t live on the other side of the world haha
"Mmmm Fire donut"
It wouldn't be called an adventure if everything went smoothly. Glad you survived!
A couple summer's ago I took my family on a last minute trip to southern Utah in the summer (over 100ºF) and our car broke down about 5 miles from town. We barely had enough cell service to call a tow, but they couldn't be there until morning because we were so far away from a larger city. We decided to walk back to town at night, still in the upper 90's, and we eventually got picked up by some locals, after getting passed by several cars (young family of 5 carrying pillows and blankets).
Anyways, it was an adventure that we still talk and laugh about. Oh, and we made a video about it.
Oh my goodness! These adventures are just a part of life haha - glad you guys were safe
OH NO! What a comedy of tragedies. I hope you ended up getting many shots throughout your 4 days there though. Sometimes I find it best to not setup expectations of a specific shot myself... means you can't be disappointed then.
Anyways. Very jealous you were able to go to Yosemite, its on my bucketlist for some day. And I'm excited to see your Astro Shots from there!
I still feel the images were great and the experience is always priceless! I totally agree with you :) !
We got a baby "firefall" and it was truly just amazing to get out and travel safely again. I am very behind on editing LOL! Cheers
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