This is my version of the shot that Galen Rowell made famous in 1986. We had tried on 5 different occasions and each time the weather failed to cooperate. it is mid February in Yosemite and it's cold at 5:30 p.m. We got a parking spot at 2:15 in the El Cap picnic area, ad even then there already were a 100 photographers setting up. I had seen a picture that I really liked of the "falls" and the photographer has said he shot from from 230 yards from the eastern edge of the parking lot. So I and another photgapher hiked 200 yards away from the growing crowds and found a snow covered meadow that showed the falls between two trees. We pitched out ripods and went back for all the equipment. My wife shot a Nikon D70s witha Nikon 70-300 telephoto lens. This shot is from a Panasonic Lumix with a Leica 20x lens that was touched by angels. My wife and our Yellow Lab - Sunny got settled for along wait almost 2.5 hours. It was clear. then cloudly and then clear , then cloudy....we needed the sun to be below the Falls with just the very last rays hitting the falls. As I said we had been there before 5 different times and the sun always was blocked. By 5:00 there were over 600 photographers, many from photo tours from China, Japan, Germany, and Sweden were there. You have never seen so many ultra high end cameras, lens and tripods in one place. Wtih just ten minutes to go, another cloud, and you could hear the groans. But it cleared up and the show began. Orange to red to a lava like glow as the light refracted off the water in deep red tones. It was deeply emotional , like an eclipse, some folks yelling, some crying, all pushing shutters and staring at the miracle. IT WAS ABSOLUTLY A THRILL OF LIFETIME. The light left in about 12 minutes, and afterwards everyone was hugging and kissing, screaming and sobbing. laughing and many just sat down stunned and silent at what they had seen. Photo is copyrighted- Lee DeCovnick