Abstract reflection of Yosemite Falls in Merced River just west of Sentinel Bridge

During a February visit to Yosemite National Park I was eager to make some images of Yosemite Falls that did not look like those one finds on post cards in the gift shop. I tried all sorts of different shooting locations, view points, angles and perspectives but no matter what I did, it looked like millions of other photos taken of this iconic waterfall.

After giving up, a day or two later I was walking along the bank of the Merced River opposite Cooks Meadow when I noticed that Yosemite Falls was reflected in the river so I decided to try again. At first I took a series of shots which included the actual falls as well as the reflection of the falls, but these too were less than satisfying. So, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just frame the reflection - leaving out the actual falls. This worked.

The minor ripples in the river produced an abstract rendition of the falls that is quite interesting. I then moved over a little bit so the reflection of some tan colored weeds came into the shot as well - echoing the abstract quality of the falls and adding a bit more balance to the image giving me a quite pleasing result. The only problem I have with this image is that people keep turning it upside down when they look at the print.

Canon EOS 5d Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM at 102mm
1/2 sec, f/22, ISO 50
Aperture Priority
Evaluative Meter pattern
Shot in RAW
Gitzo GT3541 Carbon Fiber Tripod with RRS BH-40 Ball Head