Yosemite Valley Chapel view of Yosemite Falls

This spot is behind and on the west side of the Yosemite Valley Chapel. If entering Yosemite Valley from El Portal just stay straight and follow the signs to Half Dome Village. Do not make any turns. After you pass the Four Mile Trail trailhead, keep an eye out for the Chapel on your right. There is a small parking lot here. Park here and walk to other side of the chapel and behind it. Please note, that at the time of writing, this is a one-way road (traffic patterns in Yosemite shift depending on weather, traffic, construction, or a number of other factors), and if you miss the Chapel you will have to loop all the way down to El Capitan Meadow to come back up. If you are riding the Yosemite Shuttle, at the time of writing, Shuttle Stop #11 is the closest stop. From there cross the bridge and follow the road west to the Chapel. Address: Yosemite Valley Chapel, 9000 Southside Dr, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389

Usually Yosemite Falls dries up in the summer and stays that way until the first storm in the Fall, and one major element of the photo would be missing. However, if the falls are flowing, this makes an excellent shot year round. If you are lucky enough to get water in the fall this is a killer shot as the trees in the image all turn a brilliant yellow.

If the sun is out, the shadows are too extreme in the morning to expose for both the Chapel and the falls in the same shot. However, a fully lit shot during the afternoon provides for a beautiful shot. Personally, I wait for clouds to provide a nice even lighting and some drama to the image.

I used a wide-angle lens (33mm) to maximize my capture of the chapel, falls and clouds. Hopefully you planned a visit with cloudy weather and even lighting.

There is a tree to the right of you that will cover up the top of the steeple if you are not careful. Pay attention to the relation of the tree and Chapel when composing your image.

Adding a person into the shot gives it much more scale and makes it a more interesting photo overall.

Yosemite is a photographer's paradise with so much to do in the area. Sentinel Bridge nearby the Chapel makes for an excellent sunset location.