in new, unique ways. For example, stop
and consider different exposure or shutter
speed settings. I underexposed my image
of the Gates of the Valley in Yosemite
to add mystery.
Winter light is fleeting—dark one min-
ute and soft and bright the next. Don’t let
unfavorable conditions drive you away.
Re-think leaving. Instead, rely on the
nature photographer’s greatest virtue:
patience. During my Yosemite trip, as I
passed Gates of the Valley, I saw amaz-
ing rime ice formations in the Merced
River. However, the light was horrible.
I started to leave for other spectacular
landscapes down the road when I noticed
the cloud cover opening up. I decided
to wait. After a half hour, the clouds
parted and sunset light struck El Cap-
itan, reflected in the Merced River. By
re-thinking my choices, I captured one
of my best images of Yosemite.
After photographing Gates of the Val-
ley, I considered what to pursue next.
Should I continue on with grand land-
scapes or think “smaller” and look for
intimate details that could tell a story
about the spot I was photographing? Ilooked around and down, searching for
mini-landscapes. The Merced River pro-
vided my next opportunity, miniature
landscapes of frozen bubbles. Now I had
intimate details and grand landscapes
photographed from the same location.
Do you return to the same locations
every winter? Why not re-think your
choices. While snow-covered hoodoos,
and maybe a snow-bow, always make
Bryce Canyon a top priority winter
location, think outside the box for new
places to expand your winter portfolio.
Research the less-photographed winter
locations. For example, the Columbia
River Gorge does get snow, and frozen
waterfalls make great subjects for a win-
ter landscape portfolio. While you see a
number of winter images from places like
Bryce, you don’t often see winter scenes
from Columbia River Gorge. Capturing
unique locations like this can make your
portfolio stand out from the crowd.
If you do go back to your iconic standbys,
don’t just return to the same tripod holes at
the same great landscapes. Re-think your
visit. What other features are around? Put
the icons on hold and open your eyes toAbove: Winter sunset at Gates of the
Valley, Yosemite National Park.
Opposite: Rime ice pillows in the
Merced River, Yosemite National
Park.
50 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com