There are places so vast, so timeless, they almost defy the camera. Yosemite is one of them.

These images were captured during my recent trip to Yosemite National Park, using the Sony A7CR II paired with a 24–70mm lens — a setup that gave me the flexibility to go wide for sweeping valley scenes and tight for detail-rich moments. The choice to process these in black and white came naturally. Yosemite has a graphic quality to it — massive granite walls, storm-wrapped peaks, the vertical thrust of waterfalls — that feels right at home in monochrome.

In one image, El Capitan emerges from the clouds like a cathedral carved from the earth itself. The scale is almost hard to grasp until you spot the treetops at its base. On that day, the weather danced between storms and light, offering a moody atmosphere that elevated the drama of the cliffs. The mist softened the hard lines just enough to add mystery, letting the mountain feel as if it were revealing itself slowly.

Another frame captures the raw energy of Yosemite Falls — a single powerful rush of water tearing down the face of the rock. The clouds clung low, wrapping around the granite like breath, enhancing the contrast between motion and stillness. There’s something special about capturing water in monochrome — you’re no longer distracted by color, and your eye moves straight to texture, shape, and force.

The other shot, taken near Mirror Lake, was in stark contrast to the towering drama of the others. Stillness ruled here. The glassy water reflected the cliffs and pines like a quiet mirror, and the composition naturally led the eye into the frame, winding along the frozen edge of the lake. This is the kind of scene that invites you to linger — both behind the lens and in the final image.

What I love about photographing Yosemite is how it constantly shifts — not just with the weather or light, but in how it makes you feel as a photographer. It challenges you to find your voice amidst landscapes that have been photographed endlessly, yet still feel infinite. For me, black and white was a way to strip everything down to essence. To let the light, the textures, the natural architecture of the place do the storytelling.

Shooting with the A7CR II gave me the resolution and dynamic range I needed to pull details from both deep shadows and the brightest highlights, especially useful in the high-contrast scenes Yosemite so often presents. The 24–70mm was the perfect partner — versatile, sharp, and responsive in those fleeting moments where light and landscape intersect for just a breath.

Yosemite reminds me why I shoot landscapes — not just to document what’s there, but to try and capture the feeling of standing before something vast, wild, and humbling. And in those quiet clicks of the shutter, there’s a kind of reverence. A way of saying: I was here. And this moved me.