Morning Light on Half Dome

Sometimes it’s worth getting up before sunrise on a cold October morning, with storm clouds moving in and the bite of the autumn chill penetrating even your warmest layers. In 2013, I pulled myself out of my tent at Tuolomne Meadows despite the frigid conditions and made my way down the Tioga Road to Olmsted Point, a brilliant overlook across the heights of the Sierras down into the eastern end of the Main Valley of Yosemite National Park. The billowing clouds parted as the sun rose letting a sliver of light in to kiss the top of Half Dome, creating a pastel glow to the sky and surrounding mountains, and allowed me to capture this photo which almost resembles a painting.