Monolith

Monolith: A Yosemite Landscape Moment

Featured on January 20, 2026, this photograph captures one of the many reasons Yosemite rewards a photographer: there is always something worth chasing. While the rest of the group floated the Merced River, I made my way to the opposite end of the river, where beautiful light was spilling across El Capitan.

El Capitan bathed in warm light above the Merced River in Yosemite — El Capitan light along the Merced River

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Reader Comments

Eden — June 23, 2026

Beautiful! That fallen tree adds some nice interest to the foreground, and the lighting is great. Reply

Tobias Mann — July 1, 2026

Fantastic landscape photography. I have always had trouble dealing with the large amount of detail captured in the trees and poor contrast and detail in the real subject I want. HDR photography has helped, however I must always apply it conservatively for the best results. You might find some of my photography interesting, I deal with a lot of macro and seascapes myself. Reply

Caryn Caldwell — July 4, 2026

Wow. This is absolutely, astoundingly gorgeous! The colors, the reflection, the angle - perfect! Reply

Ryan Sexton — July 7, 2026

Its so beautiful, I especially like the reflection on the near side of the tree. Reply

Jim Nix — July 11, 2026

holy cow Len, that is a stunner!! great shot! Reply

Rick Louie — September 12, 2026

This is a wonderful scene Len! Love the fallen tree in the foreground. I need to get to Yosemite one day. Reply

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