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Yosemite Falls Gallery

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Yosemite Falls, May From Chapel Meadow. ©2010, James McGrew
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Yosemite Falls, May From Chapel Meadow. ©2010, James McGrew

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  • Moonlit Magic ©2011 James McGrew<br /> A spring snow storm cleared after dark and the light of a nearly full moon painted the walls and Upper Yosemite Fall with splashes of light and color including a lunar rainbow.
  • Upper Yosemite Fall and Half Dome. ©2012, James McGrew
  • First View of the Upper Fall. ©2012, James McGrew
  • Spring Snow Dusting on Upper Yosemite Fall. ©2011 James McGrew
  • After a Spring Snowfall. ©2011, James McGrew
  • Yosemite Falls, May From Chapel Meadow. ©2010, James McGrew
  • Lower Yosemite Falls. Copyright ©2005 James McGrew<br /> <br /> This perspective required a short but icy cold adventure through the torrential downpour of "spray" and winds at the base of the falls. To prepare for the journey I placed all my camera and painting equipment inside ziploc bags in my daypack. Then I protected my daypack with a plastic cover and finally wearing Chacos and waterproof pants and jacket with hood, I took a series of deep breaths, put my head down and ventured up through the slippery boulders the wall adjacent to the base of the Lower Yosemite Fall. I would take a step onto a rock with only a half inch of water sheeting down its surface and suddenly a burst of wind would deposit so much water from the air that I'd be instantly standing on six inches of water rushing around my ankles. The wind and blasts of water nearly knocked me over a few times. I watched miniature waterfalls form on my chest as so much water slammed against my body, collected and dropped to the ground. In a few minutes, I was out of the bulk of the water and continued climbing the steep boulders towards the crevice behind the waterfall. Once I reached my destination, intent on capturing the first rays of morning sunshine as it lit the fall from behind, I removed my back pack only to find shreds of tattered plastic clinging to the straps. The winds and driving water actually shredded the rain cover from my pack. Despite my energy, layers of clothing, the shivering still took about an hour to cease, making photography and painting difficult, but a spectacular experience I remember clearly even more than five years later. I made the same journey later that night to watch the light of the full moon shine down through the waterfall.
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  • Upper Yosemite Fall from Fern Ledge. ©2005, James McGrew.<br /> <br /> Available as 8x10 special edition print on exhibition fiber paper. <br /> <br /> John Muir describes a wild night time adventure where he climbed up to Fern Ledge and ventured behind upper Yosemite Fall to watch the moonlight through the water. Fern ledge is a narrow shelf extending across the cliff of upper Yosemite Fall, roughly one third of the way up its vertical precipice. In the 20th century, Ansel Adams beautifully photographed Upper Yosemite Fall from this same general area creating a dramatic composition with the fall basically front lit showing the "comets" streaming down. However, I've always marveled at the fall in the late afternoon when the sun shines through the fall just before dropping behind Eagle Peak. So, in 2005, on a hot spring day, I made the steep off trail journey, scrambling up sliding scree and massive boulders, slippery wet ledges, and a few short vertical climbs until I reached the base of Lost Arrow and made this exposure before venturing out to the brink of Fern Ledge where I stood mesmerized by the sheer size and power of the thundering waterfall as it raced downwards with incredible speed at this vantage point despite the fact it seems to fall in slow motion when viewed from the valley floor from a distance of more than a mile.
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  • Lunar Rainbow, Lower Yosemite Falls. ©2010 James McGrew
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