fall foliage 2011 "November's Alpenglow"

What a difference a day makes! On this very same morning, the valley was blanketed with 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow. During the day, the temps rose slowly, but the heat of the sun was enough to melt this winter wonderland. The clouds hung around all day, so when the sun reached the horizon, it lit El Capitan up through a gap in the low clouds. I've seen photos of this, but I have never been here this time of year. During the summer months, the sun ducks behind the north rim of the valley and never reaches the face of El Cap so late in the day. As winter approaches, the sun sets further south and angles it's last rays through the length of the valley. The fog laying in the valley added to the scenes quality. It was the end of an epic day!

Thanks for your comments!

Mark...  There are some images that spark emotive adjectives when seen and the first word that popped into my head was "sumptuous".  I don't know why, it's not a word I use often... check the dictionary and you'll see that I'm correct...  This is excellent as well ;-)... Mike

Fine David Muench-ish image.

Oh my. This is indeed Muench-ish, but in the best way. You've captured some truly gorgeous light here.

Stunning. A daring foray into iconic photographic territory. The lighting is stellar and the "river" of fog in the valley adds a dimensional perspective quality that underlines the grandeur of the geography. Well done!

Love it!

Looks like the cooler weather brings this place to life for photography.

Besides the vibrant sunset colour on El Cap its the meandering river of fog in the valley that really brings this photograph to life.

Well done!

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful capture.

Good lighting, good composition, very warm and wonderful colours. Lovely mist in the foreground, lovely clouds in the background. In a (couple of) word(s): well done :-)

Superb capture... Great light and composition... That fog gives a bit of mistery to the picture... Good job

great work Mark the mist makes this image stand out, well done.

Mark,

This image and "Yosemite Stalls" are right on - both have great light mood and composition.  Patience to wait for the right light, getting in the right spot, and capturing the iconic with a great eye pay off for you big time.  Wonderful work.  Regards.  Larry

Beautiful image Mark, my first thought was wow!

Regards, Gary.