Taken in Yosemite Valley at Tunnel View on May 9th, 2013
Tunnel View, Yosemite National Park. In early May Yosemite was hit by a thunderstorm that involved, according to a local park photographer, the most intense downpour of the last 15 years. As I waited and watched the roads and parking lots turn to rivers, pea-sized hail crashed down on my car in a deafening cacophony. Then, as quickly as it began, the tempest abated. And I had one thought: get to Tunnel View to watch the clearing storm. I arrived to see some of the most beautiful and dynamic light I’ve ever seen at this vista, and I made a number of dramatic photos. As the rain clouds cleared I used a 10-stop ND filter to create this 120-second exposure of the incredible dynamics of the Valley.