First Light, by Paul Roark

When the light first breaks through the mist of an early morning ground fog following a rain that night, the light pouring though the oak trees in Yosemite Valley is as inspiring as the cliffs and waterfalls.

This photo was taken with my Rollei SL66 and 80 mm lens. While I almost never take hand-held shots, this was one. I had just taken another photo and saw this scene. I knew it was going to be fleeting, so I read the shadow density with the spot meter, focused, flipped up the mirror, and viewed through the sports finder. One handheld shot was all I managed before the effect disappeared. Fortunately, the big old SL66 is very stable with the mirror up.



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