Heart of the Valley

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 13, 2016235 views18 comments

I figured it was time to take a break from the Aspens. This is from the Yosemite trip back in early November. This is the portion of the west face of El Capitan. And according the my buddy Sir Preston, that formation in the rock, is indeed called the "heart." El Capitan is the largest, solid piece of granite rock in the world. It's not the largest monolith (think Ayer's rock, etc.) but it is the biggest piece of solid granite. This image doesn't really show scale; there are the pines, but no reference to where the top of El Cap is. Here is a view from a few years ago that shows the "heart" relative in size to the entire monolith.

Not especially original or dramatic, but a nice view of a good portion of the face of El Cap. Also, you can't really see in the web versions, but there are no less than 8 climbers that I counted in the original full sized master. They are mostly in the upper right quadrant of the frame.

Thought I would post for fun. Your comments are always appreciated.

Thanks!

Lon

Nikon 800E
Nikon 80-200 2.8 @100mm f/22

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on February 13, 2016 at 6:26 AM

I think I spotted some of the climbers. They look like bugs, too small to actually to demonstrate the scale, as their are not recognizable as human figures. But anyway, I know this way ot your point here.

The silhouettes are the point, at least for me, as they work so well against the golden rock. There is that effect that the silhouettes could also be just shadows of the pines. This switching between the idea to see the real objects or just their shadows is quite interesting.

A very good image that reminds me of your LF work, for whatever reason that is... enlightened

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on February 13, 2016 at 7:59 AM

This is a nice golden view of the big wall. Very enjoyable.

Sir Preston does seem to know the names of almost every inch of Yosemite. And he can remember them all!!! It amazes me.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on February 13, 2016 at 9:39 AM

Lon: I've only been to Yosemite twice but I remember this wall. The pines create a grand illusion that its not all that massive but the hint is that you had to use f22 to get them and the wall sharp. This is a place where I'd set up my 70-400 and make abstract extracts all day long. Beautiful place superbly rendered.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on February 13, 2016 at 11:31 AM

Interesting. I never knew about the "heart." Nice light on the face. The trees add scale.

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on February 13, 2016 at 11:57 AM

I really enjoy your take on this, and the colors of the rock are superb, I never get tired of those. If I had to pick a nit, it would be that I would heva liked to see a bit more of the tree silhouettes.

Your reference link is awesome btw, it was posted before my time here on NPN apparently, but wow, such magnificent light!

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on February 13, 2016 at 2:24 PM

I like this a lot, Lon. The golden color of the West Face and the Heart being prominent give this an abstract feel. I do wish for just a wee bit of detail in the large pine at center, but that's minor. The pines look great next to the golden light.

Yeah, that is one big wall. It seems to go on forever.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on February 13, 2016 at 10:30 PM

This works very nicely with the tree silhouettes and the golden glow of El Capitan, Lon. I can see why this formation is called the heart.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on February 14, 2016 at 6:19 AM

This is so lovely Lon. The place is a must see for me, one day.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on February 14, 2016 at 10:35 AM

Neat one, Lon. Can't say I knew about this view of the "heart" before. You caught some very nice light to make the point about the heart formation totally seeable. Glad to see the tree line making it across the entire lower view too, seems to almost be adding "pointers" or "arrows" to the scene....... laugh

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 14, 2016 at 11:09 AM

I really like the silhouetted trees against the golden wall Lon. Wonderful intimate view of an iconic place. Thanks for providing the link. I remember that image and the grand scale of the place.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Falley on February 14, 2016 at 1:43 PM

In Spring 1971 I climbed the "Nose" of El Cap, A five day beatout in those days. Back then I believe we called this area the Salath'e Wall. But later on there got to be so many routes not everyone could have their own "wall". Batholiths are even much more hidden than icebergs, Possibly the South Face of Denali would be much larger though some portions are covered with snow and ice.

Thanks for sharing! Cheers: Tom

Registered on November 21, 2014, 189 Posts, 454 Comments

Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on February 14, 2016 at 2:31 PM

Lon,
Beautiful capture. Elegant composition works very well with the nice warm lighting. My aging eyes can't see any climbers...

Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 14, 2016 at 4:20 PM

Lon, This really works!! Great idea coming up with this composition and including the trees the way you did. I really enjoy looking at this even if you did just post it for fun. Nice work!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 14, 2016 at 5:12 PM

Thanks for the comments folks!

Roel, Yeah, I think including more of the trees would be good. From what I recall though, just below the frame begins the tops of the oak trees. I think changing the vantage point would create some different options.

Definitely lacks scale here. One really has no idea the size of this rock from this image. And as Preston always says, "It's one BFR!" You should be able to figure that out. sad

Thank again

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on February 15, 2016 at 1:23 PM

I've seen this view and you captured it nicely Lon. It's always a bit overwhelming facing that monolith to try to capture the feel of its immensity. The color of that stone changes throughout the day and this is about as nice as it gets. Don't know what to add except:

I think what works here well is the selection of trees used for the silhouette. There branches are full yet sparse enough so that each is delineated with light enclosing their outlines. There is one in the middle that's a dark area. For me it's often not easy to find such a group. These trees give it a more delicate appearance than otherwise.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on February 15, 2016 at 4:26 PM

I think there is some sense of scale actually. The frame is filled with rock, and of course the trees are not small. This is about light, and color contrast anyway. And of course, the "heart"! Nice!!

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 16, 2016 at 12:00 PM

Nice man!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 16, 2016 at 12:49 PM

Hi Lon

I think the Pine reflections do give a sense of scale...... i have one 90 ft white pine on my farm that overwhelms the landscape. here i see this huge mass of solid granite that overwhelms the pines. so to me, the scale, light and colors work perfectly for me.

Albvert Darmo
Darmo

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments