Photographer Captures Rare Moment When Yosemite Waterfall Transforms Into a Fire Stream

In 1872, a hotel near Yosemite’s Glacier Point spilled hot embers from the top of the lookout, creating what appeared to be a lava waterfall. This summer event, known as the Firefall, became a major tourist attraction that lasted until it was banned by the National Parks Service nearly 100 years later. Yosemite, on the other hand, has its own naturally occurring Firefall, which draws visitors each winter. This year’s admirers included Capture the Atlas photographer Dan Zafra.

In contrast to the man-made Firefall of the nineteenth century, nature is the sole actor in this event. Horsetail Fall is an ephemeral waterfall that flows from winter to early spring. If the stars align just right, the setting Sun can turn the water a fiery orange color for a few weeks in February. The end result is stunning. The water shooting down the granite slabs looks exactly like lava.

The skies must be crystal clear in order to see the Firefall clearly. Even with that, it usually only lasts about 10 minutes. Because the waterfall is powered by melting snow, there must be enough snowmelt to generate a significant amount of water. In fact, the event does not occur every year. But Zafra was fortunate enough to witness the incredible phenomenon for himself.

“Seeing a natural show like this with my own eyes was the most inspiring part of the experience, beyond any photograph,” he tells My Modern Met. “It was simply magical to see how the colors of the waterfall slightly changed until it looked like real lava falling off the mountain, whether with my naked eye or through my telephoto lens.”

Of course, Zafra wasn’t the only one. Many photographers gathered in the area, hoping to capture this natural wonder. Indeed, one of Zafra’s favorite aspects of the experience was the positive interaction and festive atmosphere on site. With so many people taking pictures around, it can be difficult to ensure that what one captures is unique. But that’s all part of the game for Zafra.

“It’s certainly difficult to stand out creatively in an event like this, where thousands of photographers have been photographing for years and where the light conditions and viewing points are very specific.” However, there is always room to make the images your own, whether through camera equipment selection or post-processing style. Aside from the standard Firefall images, I also tried to make something unique. One method was to use a super long focal length to focus the viewer’s attention on the fine details of the upper section of the falls.”

Zafra used a high-resolution camera, a 600mm lens, and an X1.4 lens extender to capture those small details. This also aided him in becoming more creative in his photography of abstract images created by the colorful reflections on the granite. “I was fascinated by how the colors on the wall changed with each passing second.”