I’ve been fortunate to visit many of the most beautiful places in the world. Most of the time these are “hurry up” moments: gawk at the site, maybe take a snapshot. Sometimes I am more fortunate: I can linger at a special spot, savoring its uniqueness, its spirit. As a photographer, how do I capture that?

I think some of that happens by slowing down, really thinking about what is here. This photo is a case in point. The subject is a humble little place, Fern Springs, in one of the greatest of nature’s spectacles on earth, the Yosemite Valley. My friends and I had passed it by a couple of times, in search of bigger subjects like El Capitan or Half Dome. Finally, we stopped, and the magic permeated all of us.

There is some method involved here. I studied the little spring from many angles, finding new wonders each time I took a step. Sometimes it’s good to just leave the camera in its bag for a while. Anyway, the more we lingered here, the more great images we saw. Each angle revealed different lighting, a different assemblage of leaves, and of course, different compositions. A bit of post processing in Photoshop brought out what was in my heart.

Of all the photos in the Yosemite Valley I made that autumn day, the series of images from the spring are among my favorites.