Here’s the story behind the picture:

This was taken in a February some years back during a birthday trip to Yosemite that Teresa had arranged for me.  Alas, I had been very sick with the flu right up until we arrived.  So, rather than do our usual thing of exploring the trails (or taking section hikes of the John Muir Trail for several days in the backcountry) we decided to just stay at the lodge and walk slowly around the valley floor as I had energy to do it while recovering.

I didn’t expect to find anything to capture that hadn’t already been done.  The best I saw was a few deer grazing by some leafless trees.  And then I looked up and saw this.

It often happens that way – I’ll just be strolling along in town, the wild, or my own home and suddenly there’s this potential for a shot that just jumps out at me.  So, as is my usual method, I started at the scene for a couple of moments, then started walking around from side to side and closer and farther, sizing up where the most dynamic arrangement of angles, foreground, and background came into conjunction.

Only then to I lift up my camera to finalize the composition by deciding what to frame in, and what to frame out.

When I returned home, I post-processed the digital image to get the best contrast and clarity until I had achieved the result you see here..

Oh, and as for the trip, it was absolutely wonderful, including the food at Yosemite Lodge, except for one thing.  It was beginning to snow when we left, and I asked Teresa to take the high road out of the valley for more snow.  Naturally, we skidded off the road in a slow slide and she spent half an hour trying to get us out of the ditch before we regained the path.  I couldn’t help because I was still recovering.  I loved it, for the adventure, but every time that trip or this image comes up, she still ribs me about that drive out.