Entering the Sanctuary

Entering the Sanctuary, photo by Harold Davis. View this capture larger.

This is a capture of the entrance to Yosemite Valley last month. It seems very appropriate for me to post it this evening because I’m heading back to Yosemite tomorrow for more of that sublime “winter experience.”

I think this photo works because of the small snowy trees on the lower left. They give a sense of scale to the entire composition.

My title for the image is “Entering the Sanctuary.” I’ve given it this name because this is how I think of Yosemite: one of nature’s great sanctuaries, or holiest of holy places, on this green earth.

The photo was taken during a temporary break in blinding snow conditions. This textural rendition of the snow, sequentially a few frames on my memory card before “Entering the Sanctuary,” will give you some idea of what it was like: