El Capitan (2003) Photograph by Gary Moger

Yosemite, California. First light. August 2003.

The whole world is holding its breath.

The woodsmoke from the controlled burns sits low in the valley, turning the morning air to gold. A road cuts through the frame — empty, silent — and beyond it the pine trees rise into the haze, and beyond them, El Capitan. Three thousand feet of granite, catching the first sunlight on its sheer vertical face like a searchlight from heaven.

Gary had been climbing around El Capitan the day before. And now, in this smoke-diffused morning light, the rock looks like it has been cast from solid gold.
This is one of those moments that cannot be engineered. You can only be ready for it.

Shot on a Leica M6 with Kodak Portra NC film, drum scanned and printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, the image carries the warmth and tonal depth that only analogue photography — and only this particular light — can produce.
All of Gary's work is captured full frame, exactly as the scene appeared. Nothing is cropped, nothing is manipulated. What you see is what was there.

A Note on Process
Every print I sell is made in my own studio and checked for every detail and quality before I pack it for shipping. I use plastic free packaging.
The paper I use is the finest quality and after years of experimenting, I find it gives the best tonal range and finish.
Hahnemühle has been making art papers for hundreds of years.

Materials used:

Leica M6 camera, Kodak portrait VC film, Hahnemuhle Photorag Archival paper

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 40
• Size: 45.72 x 60.96 x 0.25cm (unframed) / 41.66 x 58.42cm (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky
• Hurry, only 1 left in stock

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