I’ve been sitting on this image since we got back from our Yosemite* trip in August for two reasons.  The first is that I haven’t had much time to give it more than a half-hearted attempt.  The second is that I didn’t know how to process it.  I was photographing Mammoth Peak** from across Tioga Lake, and the sunrise really was beautiful, but the wind was howling, and I was disappointed with the RAW files that I got home with.  I did a rough edit, but haven’t yet made a good effort to edit it properly.

However, today I had a chance to sit down and play with it more.  This is actually a blend of 3 shots, using Photomatix, and a technique I’ve described previously.

Mammoth Peak at dawn, Yosemite National Park, California, August 2009

*Although Mammoth Peak is in Yosemite National Park, Tioga Lake is not–its just outside the east entrance at Tioga Pass

**Mammoth Peak is not to be confused with the more popular Mammoth Mountain, about 30 miles south