Photo By: Joshua Cripps

Biography: I’m a self-taught photographer who specializes in capturing grand landscapes. I love drawing the viewer into my images by using bold compositions, vivid details, and rich colors.

Website – http://www.joshuacripps.com

Image Description – Finding a unique viewpoint in Yosemite Valley to photograph is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Nevertheless, that’s what I set out to do this evening in May. I had a vague idea for a shot which included two valley icons, Yosemite Falls and Half Dome, so I set out along the upper falls trail, unsure of what I would find. After about three miles of hiking, I turned to find an incredible vista of Half Dome and the roaring Falls. Unfortunately, the base of the upper falls was blocked from sight by vegetation. I solved that problem by (perhaps foolishly) climbing about 60 feet up the granite cliffs behind me and shimmying out onto a small ledge, which while slightly terrifying, gave me the clear view I needed to capture this image.

Location – Yosemite Valley, CA

Photographic Gear – Nikon D300s, Manfrotto Tripod + Ballhead, Remote shutter release, Lee 3-stop soft GND

Image Editing Software Used – Nikon Capture NX2 and Adobe Photoshop CS2

Photo By: Jeff Swanson

Website – http://www.interfacingnature.com

Biography – I’m a photographer specializing in dynamic landscapes. I’m consistantly drawn to interfaces in the natural world – whether that be where dynamic meets stationary or where biotic meets abiotic – these areas of interface make for the best photographs. I hope you enjoy checking out my images as much as I’ve enjoyed making them. I’ve just relocated to Northern California after finishing graduate school in Rhode Island and I’m constantly amazed by the variety of the landscape on this new and exciting coast.

Please visit my website to see more images and for information on purchasing prints.

Image Description – I understand the hype now.

I spent the afternoon on a whirlwind tour of Yosemite Valley with my girlfriend and some of her family. They were gracious enough to wait around while I waited to see if sunset would cover these beautiful granite features with golden light.

I’m pretty thrilled with this little gift of light on El Capitan and Half Dome and I love the way they look like they’re right next to each other even though they’re at opposite ends of the valley. The light was like this only for a few seconds – I yelled “It’s happening!” and took this shot and then it faded away. We waited around a little longer and if I turned my back to the valley for a second they’d pipe in with “It’s happening!”only to have me turn around to see precisely the opposite. I’m glad they take what I do seriously!

This has definitely fueled the fire in me to go back and spend a lot more time.

Location - Big Oak Flat Rd, Yosemite National Park

Photographic Gear – Nikon D200, Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED, hoya hd circular polarizer, graduated neutral density filter