Yosemite Long Exposures: Patience Pays Off
You would think a waterfall-mecca like this would be an ideal place to capture the soft motion of flowing water. However, through trial and error I have learned that the larger, more famous falls in the park are actually better suited for automatic camera settings. I’ll explain as I share my photos of Yosemite long exposures…
The photo above shows falls at the upper end of what I would consider using a long shutter for. I do like the way it came out.
The real issue is that, of course, larger waterfalls tend to have more water flow. This means there is no opacity in the water…in other words, you can’t see through to the rock surface behind the falls. The larger the falls, the less detail you get in the flow…and a longer exposure reduces that detail even further.
Light Flow Waterfalls & Creeks – Yosemite Long Exposures
Here is where this technique truly shines in Yosemite. For the reasons I mentioned earlier, the stringy, light-flowing creek falls above were captured perfectly. This was probably taken in mid to late Summer. If I had attempted this during spring’s full flow, the picture would not be so striking and detailed.
In general, I found that long exposure settings work best for water trickling over rocks and boulders. One exception might be a late summer shot I made of Vernal Falls, which was only possible because all the snow had melted in the high country. Essentially, to the naked eye, the falls were quite weak.
This perfect little log waterfall was captured along Cathedral Creek. A scene like this is an excellent opportunity for a long shutter. I should also mention my 6-stop ND filter and circular polarizer…both are quite useful on sunny days like this. However, while it was bright out, this particular shot was taken in the shade).
For the occasional photo in direct sunlight, I sometimes even employ a 10-stop ND filter to block a lot of light (and allow for a longer exposure time). For example, here’s an image of the Tuolumne river’s flowing water in bright sunlight.
I came across the tall, stringy falls above in mossy Avalanche Creek one day. Even at F22 and 1.4 seconds in the shade, you still can’t pull this off without a filter.
The super long 30-second exposure above was taken near Carlon Falls. Settings like this allow for very smooth + flowy water effects. Some people may find these images to be a bit fake – I’m OK with them.
Light Trails From Passing Cars
This is one of my favorite long exposure shots, captured from the foothills near Groveland. It’s a 30-second exposure of Yosemite traffic on SR120, returning home to the Bay Area at sunset. In the distance you’ll notice Don Pedro Lake.
Speaking of which, these headlight trails were taken on a bridge over the lake – at the exact moment a car passed in the opposite direction. The long exposure effect smooths out the lake water, as well as softens the clouds.
However, I have noticed that if you have too many clouds with a lot of sunset color, this smoothing effect doesn’t look so great. In any case, these kinds of shots obviously take some planning and work – but the results can be stunning.
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About My Photos
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– Nathan Allen
About Me
I’m Nathan Allen, photographer / creator of YosemiteParkPhotos.com (Yosemite Photos) and international travel site I Dreamed Of This. In truth, I lived in San Francisco, New York, & Singapore…but nothing compares to life in the mountains. I share my experiences HERE.