Yosemite's Living Firefall

On the eastern shoulder of the 3,000 foot tall El Capitan in Yosemite Valley flows Horsetail Fall, a wispy ephemeral waterfall scarcely noticed by most visitors by day. During a one week window of time each winter, the sun sets at the perfect angle to illuminate the waterfall while the cliff remains in shadow, creating an almost magical phenomenon which resembles fire falling over the cliff. On this evening, high winds from the east blew the water as well as snow from the valley rim to create the fiery mist flowing out from the cliff and descending to the valley floor. I snow shoed several miles and a few hundred feet up the steep talus to reach an icy perch above the trees with a view of the spectacle. I captured photos, video and painted a plein air study which served as the references for this commissioned studio piece.