Sunburst over Yosemite ValleyA sunburst forms as the sun crests over Half Dome and the rim of Yosemite Valley.

Here's another sunrise shot of Yosemite Valley taken from Tunnel View. I took this photo just as the sun crested over the rim of the valley. The sunburst effect and lens flare add color and drama to an otherwise very nice photo, making it something special.

I created the sunburst effect by using a particularly small lens aperture and pointing my camera directly into the sun. The lens flare is a side effect caused by including the sun in the photo. Normally, lens flare is considered a flaw when it appears in a photo, but here, I intentionally left it in because I think it adds extra color and excitement. I particularly like how it streaks towards the bottom left-hand corner.

The following is another sunrise photo that I really like; I took it just 2 minutes before the sunburst:

Sunrise over Yosemite Valley 2Yosemite Valley at sunrise.