Peaks and Valleys comes with a story that dates back more than a decade. On a 3-day winter excursion in 2010 to photograph Yosemite in a winter storm, Bobby exposed a plethora of Film under magical conditions only to have it lost in the mail when sent in for processing. It was a devastating blow, and after Bobby opened his gallery in 2011, his body of work quickly began to move away from the more heavily-photographed scenes including those of the iconic Yosemite Valley. However, in March of 2020 on a 2 week “quarantine” road trip, Bobby was working in the Hills of Paso Robles and was notified of a massive storm headed into the Sierras that evening. Just 2.5 hours away from his location, he packed up and headed for the mountains for a spur of the moment redemption attempt for the the film debacle more than a decade ago, arriving just before dark and the onset of a blizzard. After a quick setup and a 45 second exposure at dusk, Bobby finally had his own version of what he still believes to be one of the most beautiful scenes on earth.

Photographed on the same day as his 2020 Patrons’ Choice image, Renaissance, Peaks and Valleys is a beautifully symbolic image reminding us that the most disappointing circumstances in our lives often will lead us to much greater victories down the road. Without shadows there can be no highlights, and without the valleys, you’d never notice the mountaintops.

Location | Yosemite National Park, California

Medium and Materials | Chromogenic Print from Film on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, Face-Mounted with 2 layers of UV protection in the Bobby Wheat Gallery’s Signature ANTIGLARE Presentation.

Camera and Film Used | Shen Has 4x5 View Camera with Fuji Provia Film

Edition Size | Edition of 11 + 2 Artist’s Proofs for a Total of 13 Enlargements Regardless of Size (Your Edition Number will be assigned by the Bobby Wheat Gallery After Checkout)