I've never seen a shot like this of Yosemite, when I saw Cris post this image, I had to get in touch with him to find out what went into creating it and the story behind it!

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The Lights of Yosemite

Last year we started planning a visit to the US covering several states from the East Coast to the West. Last summer we finally had the chance to make it happen. One of the places on top of our list was to visit the iconic Yosemite National Park. For landscape photographers, Yosemite Valley is a bucket list destination and we didn’t let pass the chance see place on this trip.

For this leg we allotted four days and three nights, a mixed schedule to cater for the family enjoyment and for the photography aspect. On the nights scheduled to shoot the valley through the famous Tunnel View, we encountered some heavy fog which covered most of the valley. Luckily on the last night, the fog held up and we where able to shoot the Yosemite valley In all its glory not minding the bitter cold which I am not accustomed to being from the tropics. The experience was made more fun with the company of a handful of American photographers whom we shared some stories and laughter with in the cold while waiting for the magic moment.

For this shot I did a two separate exposures. I was using the Nikon D850 which I was testing for Nikon Philippines for this trip. I paired the D850 with the Nikkor 14-24 to capture the whole valley using this wide setup. Set at F11, iso 100 at 30 seconds, I first shot the scene to capture the landscape at blue hour to minimize camera noise. The cars traveling along the valley loop provided the light trails in the composition that made it more interesting. Then I waited for the right time to shoot the milky way with the setting of F2.8, iso 2000 at 30 sec. Then I time-blended the two shots in post to create this final image that makes me remember my magical experience at the valley every time I see the picture.

My experience here at the Yosemite National Park is something I would never forget and will always treasure. Given the chance to come back I would allot more days spent here so I can explore its beauty more.