Yosemite's Perfect Shot

        Last week marked Yosemite National Park's annual "natural firefall," when the sun sets and hits Horsetail Fall at such an angle that it looks like lava flowing down El Capitan, the world's largest single chunk of granite. Hundreds of photographers from around the world gather in hopes to capture this exact moment. Create. This image is not what it appears to be, flames of lava bursting out of the rock. The sun creates the scene and the photographers create the picture. They sit outside for hours awaiting the perfect shot.

        After watching the brief video, one can see how different a picture becomes when it changes from black and white to color. We have also discussed in class how black and white photos were used historically to create more serious images. Although Ansel Adams, the photographer, may not have had access to color photography, he captured the essence of the "Firefall" without having to rely on vivid orange tones to make his point. He got what he wanted his own viewers to see in black and white. Ansel Adams managed to take a black and white picture but still capture the movement and tone equally as if it was in color. The first time I saw his picture, I could see the fire-like waterfall on El Capitan though there was no orange-fire color.

"When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!"
-Ted Grant ("Canada's premier living photographer")