photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Tim May | all galleries >> Yosemite Journeys:: ::a collection of galleries >> GALLERY:: Yosemite's Elements ::Fall 2004 > Harsh
previous | next
15-OCT-2004

Harsh

I think this the ugliest of images in this gallery. Here Is the light from the tunnel which holds the roadway for one of the most dramatic of entrances to Yosemite. For me, it represent the intrusion of mankind into this beautiful place. Humans have had to hack away at the protecting stone to get in - but here we are and here we'll stay.

Nikon Coolpix 8800
1/51s f/3.8 at 35.9mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
comment | share
Phil Douglis08-Nov-2004 00:43
Thank you, Tim. An important function of expressive nature photography is to make us aware of issues central to the survival of the planet. Images such as yours are not only evidence of man's impact on nature. They can add, in their own small way, to the process of stimulating thought and discussion which can ultimately help governments and people act in a more responsible way towards the environment.
Tim May07-Nov-2004 21:19
Thank you both for your insights - Phil - you have put into words what I hoped to evoke with this image - for me, those questions are crucial to understanding Yosemite, or any natural wonder.
Carol E Sandgren07-Nov-2004 18:51
I must admit that when we took my version of this image (http://www.pbase.com/sveetzel/image/35372490 ) on that very same weekend I was not thinking in the same lines as you were as far as intrusion goes. I had more in mind the firey aspect of what lies beyond the other end. This image definitely says "intrusion" in a big way, but an important statement has been made by your image.
Phil Douglis05-Nov-2004 17:25
Not only is this tunnel and ugly intrusion, but it is a wound -- an insult to nature. The red light makes that wound as raw as bloody tissue. A painful image, and an apt metaphor. Yet without that tunnel, it would have been much more difficult for you and I and everyone else to visit this wondrous place. Your image stimulates questions: Should Yosemite have been left as a wilderness, without access, convenience, and comfort for its visitors. Or should it be accessible? So that all of us can appreciate the beauty and meaning of nature? And if so, what will the cost be to nature itself? Sights such as this?

Thank you, Tim, for posting an image that raises such thoughts. Expressive photography is supposed to ask questions and demand answers.