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Photographing Yosemite's Firefalls
Photographing Yosemite's Firefalls
by Matt Meisenheimer
Each February, one of nature’s great events takes place in the valley of Yosemite National Park. For a brief moment, a waterfall cascading down the face of El Capitan is draped in golden sunlight. When viewed at the perfect angle, the falls appear to be on fire, hence the name, Yosemite’s Firefalls.
I’ve photographed the Aurora, volcanoes, and many other natural phenomena. Photographing and witnessing Yosemite’s Firefalls is up there as one of my top experiences.
Our Yosemite in Winter trips offer a great opportunity to photograph the beauty of the Yosemite Valley and Firefalls, if conditions permit.
I’ve photographed the Aurora, volcanoes, and many other natural phenomena. Photographing and witnessing Yosemite’s Firefalls is up there as one of my top experiences.
Our Yosemite in Winter trips offer a great opportunity to photograph the beauty of the Yosemite Valley and Firefalls, if conditions permit.
What is Firefalls
Horsetail Falls is located on the eastern face of El Capitan. It’s easy to miss and is often overlooked by Yosemite Falls and the other great waterfalls of the valley.
However, in winter, Horsetail Falls takes center stage.
Horsetail Falls remains dry most of the year, but flows in winter due to snowmelt. The other part of the equation is the sun. For two weeks or so every February, the sun sets at just the right angle to shine its last glow on Horsetail Falls.
On a February evening with no clouds in the sky, the sunset glow is focused directly on Horsetail Falls and the result is spectacular.
The slivery waterfall catches on ‘fire’ and erupts into bright oranges and reds. The event lasts 5 to 15 minutes and creates emotions that are hard to put in words.
Thankfully, our cameras are very good at capturing the beauty of Yosemite’s Firefalls.
To recap, there are a few important elements that need to be present to photograph Yosemite’s Firefalls
The slivery waterfall catches on ‘fire’ and erupts into bright oranges and reds. The event lasts 5 to 15 minutes and creates emotions that are hard to put in words.
Thankfully, our cameras are very good at capturing the beauty of Yosemite’s Firefalls.
To recap, there are a few important elements that need to be present to photograph Yosemite’s Firefalls
- Timing: The sun is at the perfect angle for a period of two weeks every February
- Snow: Horsetail Falls is an ephemeral waterfall reliant on snowmelt
- Sun: It must be clear in the west at sunset
How to Photograph the Event
Photographing Yosemite’s Firefalls isn’t as difficult as photographing other phenomena, like the Northern Lights, but it definitely requires knowledge of the area and a few important camera tidbits.
Let’s start with lens choice. Although many great spots in Yosemite are captured with wide-angle lenses, Firefalls is not one of those.
Through experience, we’ve found that the best lenses to photograph Yosemite’s Firefalls are a 24-70mm or equivalent and a 70-200mm or 100-400mm.
These two distinct ranges allow you to capture two different types of shots.
Photographing Yosemite’s Firefalls isn’t as difficult as photographing other phenomena, like the Northern Lights, but it definitely requires knowledge of the area and a few important camera tidbits.
Let’s start with lens choice. Although many great spots in Yosemite are captured with wide-angle lenses, Firefalls is not one of those.
Through experience, we’ve found that the best lenses to photograph Yosemite’s Firefalls are a 24-70mm or equivalent and a 70-200mm or 100-400mm.
These two distinct ranges allow you to capture two different types of shots.
A 24-70mm will allow for capturing more of the landscape. You’ll be able to include Firefalls along with the vertical face of El Capitan.
A 70-200mm or 100-400mm will allow you to shoot tight and put the focus on the Firefalls. Yet, El Capitan’s sheer face will still be in the frame to provide some backdrop and scale.
My favorite lens to use is the 100-400mm, but you should be prepared for both ranges.
A 70-200mm or 100-400mm will allow you to shoot tight and put the focus on the Firefalls. Yet, El Capitan’s sheer face will still be in the frame to provide some backdrop and scale.
My favorite lens to use is the 100-400mm, but you should be prepared for both ranges.
A tripod is also absolutely necessary here. You’ll be shooting at narrow apertures (~f/16) at sunset, which means your shutter speed could be too slow to handhold. I recommend setting up on a tripod and using a remote shutter or self-time to mitigate camera shake.
Shutter speed is important when photographing waterfalls, 1/200 second will look very different from 1 second. However, for Firefalls, the water flow is so little that a fast or slow shutter speed will not affect the texture of the falls. So, don’t worry about your shutter speed.
My last tip has to do with dynamic range. When the event occurs, you will have deep shadows and very bright, fiery highlights (Firefalls).
The best thing you can do is meter specifically for the falls, by using center weight or highlight metering. I shoot in manual and constantly watch my Histogram so in a scenario like this, I’m making sure I’m exposing to the right, but not clipping the highlights.
Shutter speed is important when photographing waterfalls, 1/200 second will look very different from 1 second. However, for Firefalls, the water flow is so little that a fast or slow shutter speed will not affect the texture of the falls. So, don’t worry about your shutter speed.
My last tip has to do with dynamic range. When the event occurs, you will have deep shadows and very bright, fiery highlights (Firefalls).
The best thing you can do is meter specifically for the falls, by using center weight or highlight metering. I shoot in manual and constantly watch my Histogram so in a scenario like this, I’m making sure I’m exposing to the right, but not clipping the highlights.
The highlights are the most important thing in the image, don’t overexpose! If you need to compensate for dynamic range, you can take multiple exposures at different brightness levels and merge to HDR in Lightroom during processing.
The event also takes some good luck and persistence. There have been trips where we have visited 3-4 times during a week to try and capture the magic. Like most things in nature photography, we’re at the will of Mother Nature.
Yosemite in Winter
The event also takes some good luck and persistence. There have been trips where we have visited 3-4 times during a week to try and capture the magic. Like most things in nature photography, we’re at the will of Mother Nature.
Yosemite in Winter
Yosemite’s Firefalls garners a lot of attention from the photography community each winter. I think it’s important to say that there are so many other great things to photograph in winter in Yosemite Valley as well.
Winter is my favorite time for photography in Yosemite. When conditions align and you get snow, the iconic shots of Tunnel View, Half Dome, Valley View, and others just seem to be at another level.
Winter is my favorite time for photography in Yosemite. When conditions align and you get snow, the iconic shots of Tunnel View, Half Dome, Valley View, and others just seem to be at another level.
It’s great that you can take a winter trip to Yosemite and pair Firefalls with some great landscape opportunities. One of my most memorable BCJ trips was a winter in Yosemite trip a few years back where we experienced two blizzards in on week.
So check out our 2023 winter departures, we still have some space if you want to join us!
Yosemite in Winter
February 19, 2023 to February 24, 2023
So check out our 2023 winter departures, we still have some space if you want to join us!
Yosemite in Winter
February 19, 2023 to February 24, 2023
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Matt Meisenheimer is a photographer based in Wisconsin. His artistry revolves around finding unique compositions and exploring locations that few have seen. He strives to capture those brief moments of dramatic light and weather, which make our grand landscapes so special. Matt loves the process of photography – from planning trips and scouting locations, taking the shot in-field, to post-processing the final image.
Matt is an active adventurer and wildlife enthusiast as well. He graduated with a degree in wildlife ecology and worked in Denali National Park and Mount Rainier National Park as a biologist. He also spent 6 months working in the deserts of Namibia before finding his path in photography. Matt’s passion for the wilderness has taken him to many beautiful places around the world.
As a former university teaching assistant, Matt is passionate about instruction. It is his goal to give his students the technical and creative knowledge they need to achieve their own photographic vision. He truly enjoys working with photographers on a personal level and helping them reach their goals.
You can see Matt’s work and portfolio on his webpage at www.meisphotography.com
Matt is an active adventurer and wildlife enthusiast as well. He graduated with a degree in wildlife ecology and worked in Denali National Park and Mount Rainier National Park as a biologist. He also spent 6 months working in the deserts of Namibia before finding his path in photography. Matt’s passion for the wilderness has taken him to many beautiful places around the world.
As a former university teaching assistant, Matt is passionate about instruction. It is his goal to give his students the technical and creative knowledge they need to achieve their own photographic vision. He truly enjoys working with photographers on a personal level and helping them reach their goals.
You can see Matt’s work and portfolio on his webpage at www.meisphotography.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
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All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2024
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.