Perfect gift for those loving Yosemite and our wild places!
The thing about photographing iconic places is that no matter how amazing your shot is, you know someone else stood in the same spot and got the same view. So, what do you do when you’re trying to make your El Capitan photo stand out? You find a secret spot. Obviously!
I’m always on the lookout for angles no one’s seen before. I want people to look at my photos and say, “Wow, I’ve never seen El Capitan like that before.” Not, “Oh, another one of those shots.” So, when a photographer friend of mine whispered about a hidden location to shoot El Capitan with the Merced River as a leading line - a spot that wasn’t in any guidebooks, wasn’t visible from the road, and, as he put it, was "a bit tricky to find" - I was all in.
Adventure? Check. Unique shot? Double-check.
After some vague directions involving “a bend in the river” and “an unmarked trail,” I made my plans. Even in the early morning hour the usual viewpoints were packed with people. I smiled to myself, feeling like I was in on some kind of epic photographer’s secret, and kept driving.
After two failed attempts at finding ‘the’ spot to pull off the road, I pulled over, parking in a small dirt patch that was barely noticeable. This was it – I think. The start of my quest for the Holy Grail of El Capitan shots. According to my friend’s instructions, I had to “head downhill towards the river and a little left, follow the rough trail (more like a deer path) until it disappears, then just keep going towards the river.” What could go wrong?
After wandering around a bit, I began to wonder if my friend had been messing with me. But after a couple wrong turns I spotted an opening in the trees that revealed the Merced River winding through the valley, with a perfectly framed view of El Capitan rising in the distance.
Eureka!
The river curved through the foreground like it was guiding your eye directly to the face of the mountain. The light was soft, in that golden way that photographers dream about. It was perfect. I set up my tripod, checked the settings, and took a few test shots. And then, like any true photographer, I just stood there for a moment, taking it all in.
That’s when the realization hit me: no one else was here. I wasn’t fighting for tripod space, dodging elbows, or trying to crop out selfie sticks. This spot was mine.
And let me tell you, photographing El Capitan from this angle was like seeing a celebrity without their entourage. It was still magnificent, still larger than life, but somehow more personal, more intimate. The river flowed quietly, the golden morning sun broke thru the clouds, and the reflection of the mountain in the water was pure magic.
As I clicked away, I thought about all the photographers who’ve come before me—some of the greatest landscape photographers in history had made their mark in Yosemite. But here I was, standing in this unmarked spot, taking a shot that was different. Unique. It was the same El Capitan everyone knows, but with my own twist. That’s the challenge, isn’t it? Finding a new perspective on something that’s been captured a thousand times, and making it feel fresh again.
I packed up my gear, feeling triumphant. The quest for the secret spot had been worth it. There’s something special about discovering a new angle on an old favorite.
Back at my computer, reviewing my images, I knew I’d nailed it. The light, the leading lines, the soft reflection - it was everything I’d hoped for.
