How to Shoot Horsetail Falls (Fire Falls), Yosemite National Park

[leftquark]

How to Shoot Horsetail Falls (Fire Falls), Yosemite National Park
by Aaron Meyers, Hobbyist photographer


Horsetail Firefalls by Moonlight by Leftquark, on Flickr

When you first look at the photo above you may ask yourself "What is this? Is that Lava?!" The answer is no: it's a waterfall! For a couple weeks every year Horsetail Falls, in Yosemite National Park, becomes one of the most sought after spots to photograph. Made famous by Galen Rowell in his "Natural Firefall photograph” (Ansel Adams did document this photograph but as a black-and-white landscape photo), many photographers (including myself) try to duplicate his effort. When the February sunset hits the rock behind Horsetail Falls, it reflects back, striking the waterfalls and back-lighting it, making the falls appear to be on fire!* I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to photograph Horsetail Falls but I couldn't find one good spot that gave you all the details. Hopefully I can change all that.

In order to capture Horsetail Falls, Fire Falls you need a couple things: 1) You need the sunset to be in the right spot (which happens for 2-3 weeks around Valentines Day each year), 2) you Need Water (luckily the Sierra Nevado snow above El Capitan provides that), 3) you need a cloudless sky (the clouds will block the light from reflecting off the falls) and 4) you need to be standing EAST of Horsetail Falls or you won't capture the reflected light).

As the sun sets it begins lighting up the western side (left) of El Capitan but begins to slowly move east (to the right). Eventually it gets to Horestail Falls where it appears the waterfall was lit by a match and it explodes with color (I'm not kidding!).

[Note: Due to the draught occurring in California in the Winter of 2012, there may not be enough water for this phenomenon to happen in 2012]

*Where to See/Photograph Horsetail Falls:*
There are 2 popular locations that can be easily accessed to view and photograph Horsetail Falls on fire. I've created a shared Google Maps showing the GPS coordinates of both where to park and where to stand to photograph Horsetail Falls (or see below):


1) *El Capitan picnic area* (on Northside Drive):
This is the most popular and most crowded view of Horsetail Falls. This is where Galen Rowell took his famous ”Natural Firefall” photo and also where I took the photo above. This location provides the closest view, but it’s further east and a harsher angle and is better in late February (perhaps the last week of the Fire Falls as the sunset moves east). From this angle you can clearly see that the waterfall looks like a Horses Tail, but since you're at a closer angle you can't see the trees or snow above the falls. Parking fills up really quickly (the lot was full by 2pm) so get here early!
GPS Coordinates: 37° 43’ 41.82”, -119° 37’ 13.62”

2) *Southside Drive, East*:
This angle is a bit more south-east than the Picnic Grounds so you’ll need a slightly longer lens (my photo was taken at 180mm on a cropped sensor, so if you're using a Full Frame you may want a 300mm lens) and allows you to capture El Capitan and the falls at the same time. This viewing spot also gives you an angle to see the trees and snow above the falls but you can't tell that the waterfall is shaped like a horses tail. There’s a small turn-out on both sides of the road just before this spot that can handle about 10 cars. Plan on arriving really early if you want a spot. The rangers have been known to swing by this location about 5 minutes before the falls turn on fire and give anyone parked on the road a $300 ticket (so get here early and claim your spot in the pull-out area)!
GPS Coordinates: 37° 43’ 39.84”, -119° 36’ 33.06” (Park at: 37° 43’ 36.74”, -119° 36’ 33.06”)

Destroyer of The One Ring 1 by Leftquark, on Flickr


There are many other spots to see Horsetail Falls (example: Horsetail Fall | Flickr - Photo Sharing!) but these are the main areas.

*What to Bring:*

• A telephoto lens (200-300mm lens depending on what sensor size you use).
• A sturdy tripod
• Cable release/remote control shutter (to avoid camera shake).
• Warm clothes (layers, gloves, hat, sweatshirt, jacket, etc).
• Flashlight (for after sunset).
• Lawn chair (to sit on while you wait several hours for sunset).
• Snacks/Food/Water.

*Recommended Settings:*

• Aperture: Shoot in aperture priority and use the sharpest aperture for your lens (typically around f/8 to f/11). Once you have a couple good shots you can start to play around with other apertures.
• Focal Length: A focal length somewhere between 150 and 300 should be enough.
• ISO: Lowest ”standard” ISO, to ensure the least amount of noise.
• White Balance: Auto White-Balance. You’ll probably warm it up in post-processing.
• Focus: Manual focus with Live-View (if available). Many photographers had trouble getting clear shots because autofocus couldn’t be obtained or it focused on the mist and not on the rocks. Turn on manual focus and image stabilization (vibration reduction on Nikon), zoom as far in as you can on live view, and manually adjust the focus until it is sharpest then turn-off image stabilization and LiveView.
• Exposure Compensation: Under expose your photo. The falls are really bright and can cause a slightly overexposed photo if shooting in Matrix Metering. I found a darker image with dark granite looked best and you’ll also get a faster shutter speed and thus sharper photo.
• Use 14-bit RAW images if you have the option. Don’t shoot in JPEG.

*Other Tips for Shooting Horsetail Falls:*

• The "Fire Falls" effect occurs for about 2-3 weeks in February, usually around Valentines Day (Feb 14th). Since it depends on the suns azimuth to the Earth I can't give you exact dates. Check google as people usually post their calculations online for all of us to use!
• Scope out the locations before hand and choose your favorite spot.
• The sunset starts out on the west side of the rocks during early February and progressively moves east (from left to right in the photos) as it nears March. If you want to see the falls all lit up in the early ”Fire Falls” season, go further east. As the sunset moves east (later February) you can move east (towards picnic grounds) to get good shots.
• You need to shoot this at an angle to get the falls on fire. The ”Fire Falls” effect is created because the granite rocks face east/west and happens to reflect the February sunset. This reflection then backlights the waterfalls. Too much water and it blocks the sunset from hitting the falls. Too far west and you aren’t at an angle to see the sunset reflecting off the rocks onto the water.
• Get there early! Parking is limited and you can get a $300 ticket for parking on the street!
• Re-adjust your focus a couple minutes before sunset is supposed to start. The dropping temperatures will change your focus.
• An L bracket on your tripod can be handy for stabilization when shooting in portrait orientation. Some lenses have a slip ring that can rotate 90º to allow you to do this without an L bracket (for example both Canon/Nikon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses do this).
• You do not need a polarizer. The light is soft and the polarizer didn’t do anything to enhance the photo.
• The snow/ice that you’re standing on can be really slippery when the sun sets. There are lot of dried pine-needles on the ground so take a bunch and put it on the ground below you to provide some extra traction.
• Be patient! You’ll be sitting outside for a while so make friends with the other photographers, ask em for tips, and just have fun! As you'll see in the photo below the light slowly rises in and then lasts for a couple minutes (weather permitting)

Progression of Fire Effect on Horsetail Falls in February 2011


References:
Shooting Locations by Stargazer95050 (Choices ... locations for shooting the FIREFALL | Flickr - Photo Sharing!)
Photographing Horsetail Fall by Michael Frye (Michael Frye Photography - Horsetail Fall Article)
The Yosemite Firefall; Now Nature Provides The Show by Brad Perks (The Yosemite Firefall; Now Nature Provides The Show | Shutterbug)

[RichardTaylor]

Lots of good info on planning a shoot, and great examples.
Your post is much appreciated and I wonder if it happens anywhere else in the world..

[leftquark]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Lots of good info on planning a shoot, and great examples.
Your post is much appreciated and I wonder if it happens anywhere else in the world..

I'm sure this happens in other places too ... in fact something similar (but not exact) happens only a couple hours away in Big Sur, CA every December/January:

Ring of Fire by Leftquark, on Flickr

[RichardTaylor]

Hmmmm.... Thanks I will start searching, and use Ephermis, closer to home.
Thanks.