Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, CA, 10/20/2009
On a clear autumn day I arrived at the south shore of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley at sunrise and watched the sunlight work its way down El Capitan - the largest exposed granite face in the world. In autumn the river runs very slowly and produces perfect reflections. On this morning a slight fog lingered above the water. When the sun rose high enough to illuminate the riverbed the fog became backlit and began glowing bright white. Here is a wide angle upriver view to the east just after the sun emerged above Taft Point, suddenly and completely transforming the scene. In the distance at far left is Lower Brother of the Three Brothers rock formation.
