Photographers speak fondly of the golden hour of light just after sunrise and just prior to sunset, a brief window of time that features lower contrast, warmer hues and pronounced shadows that typically add drama to the scene, and are easier to capture on transparency film or digitally. Hence, conventional wisdom dictates that the most compelling color landscape images are typically made within the first two and last two hours of the day.
In the summer months when there can be nearly 16 hours of daylight in Yosemite, the time between the first and last two hours of the day can seem like an eternity. Not so November through March, when one hardly has an opportunity to put the camera away. And that’s just midday.
Have you ever stared in disbelief at the color of light in image of a Yosemite sunset? Have you noticed how many of those images depict autumn, winter and early spring scenes?
Here’s the secret: The color of the light in Yosemite gets warmer in the cooler months.......
4 comments:
Wonderful article on the color of light! May I humbly add that the golds and reds are enhanced by the cooler colors that are so predominate here in Yosemite in those months? Snow and granite tend toward the blue and grey spectrum, and so tend to make the color of light more dramatic.
This image would not have been so striking it it had been taken in Zion, on red rock:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambitious_wench/396496314/
Thanks for the excellent article, Keith!
I just saw the Ansel Adams exhibit at The Phoenix Art Museum, absolutely breath taking! I think I will have to take some friends to show them how amazing his work is; thankfully it's showing till mid summer.
Edie, Thank you. You are so right! This is one of our favorite articles from Keith Walklet.
Katie- Glad you enjoyed the exhibit. Phoenix Art Museum does a great job curating.
The Golden light is just amazing. It is an amazing picture of the time before sun set and an excellent captivating of the scene and view.
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