17.3. How Can I Get the Best Shot?
You can either do a 6-mile strenuous hike carrying your camera, lenses, and tripod, or drive to Washburn Point with all your gear.
17.3.1. Equipment
If you plan to do the hike, then you need to think about how much equipment you are capable of carrying. I recommend leaving your longer zoom lens behind. If you drive to Washburn Point, then you can take everything you own because your walk will only be a few yards.
17.3.1.1. Lenses
The lenses you use to photograph Nevada Fall will depend on which view you choose to photograph.
17.3.1.1.1. Mist Trail
When hiking the Mist Trail, I recommend keeping your pack light and only carrying a good midrange zoom. The 24-105mm lens is perfect for this hike. You can get the wide-angle shots that show the large fall as well as zoom in for more of the details as you climb the trail to the left of the fall.
17.3.1.1.2. Washburn Point
From Washburn Point, lenses in the 100-400mm range allow you to get close to the fall even though it is a great distance away. You can also use your 24-105mm range lens to photograph the entire Giant Staircase and show Nevada Fall in relationship to the cliffs and domes that surround it.
17.3.1.2. Filters
The most useful filters you can use when photographing the Nevada Fall are a polarizing filter and a graduated neutral density filter. You may also want to use a protective filter if you go on the Mist Trail during high water.
Polarizing filter. Useful for reducing glare and ...
Get Photographing Yosemite: Digital Field Guide now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
