Photographing Yosemite: Digital Field Guide

22.3. How Can I Get the Best Shot?

Getting everything in focus from the foreground to the peaks in the background is your biggest concern, so using small apertures to get the most depth of field is your goal.

22.3.1. Equipment

The equipment is the same for both locations.

22.3.1.1. Lenses

I find wide-angle lenses to be most useful when photographing the Three Brothers. It is a tall rock formation and because a fair amount of vegetation is in your images, it works best to include a large scene when taking its picture. This is especially true if you are trying to capture the reflection of the peaks in the river. In fact, to get the whole reflection you need wide-angle lenses in the 14-24mm range. You can get partial reflections or use the trees in the foreground if your lenses are not that wide. Using a telephoto in the 70-300mm range allows you to zoom in and just photograph the three peaks and eliminate most of the foreground.

22.3.1.2. Filters

The most useful filters for photographing the Three Brothers are the polarizing filter and the graduated neutral density filter.

• Polarizing filter. Useful for reducing glare and reflections off the surface of the water and rocks and for darkening the sky and emphasizing the clouds.

• Graduated neutral density filter. Useful for balancing the brightness in your image, especially when you are photographing with a dark foreground and light background. A graduated neutral density filter is dark at one end and clear at the other end. The density ...