Breathless

Behind the Image

The Ahwahneechee people believed that Bridalveil Fall was guarded by Pohono, a spirit of warning and power. One must not look directly at the falls when leaving the valley, or risk being cursed. And yet, to breathe in its mist was to invite love and marriage. I’ve always found that duality — blessing and danger — so fitting for this place.

That morning in early May, the falls seemed to live out the legend. A steady wind swept through the valley, sending the water sideways in long, trailing veils. It never dropped straight. It hovered and shimmered in the air like something half-alive. Below, the black oaks had just leafed out, their yellow-green leaves glowing in the morning light.

It had snowed the night before. The moment felt caught between seasons, with winter still clinging to the cliffs and spring pushing up from below. A few others had stopped too, quietly watching. I made the photograph in that stillness, just before the wind shifted again.

About the Artist

Charlotte Gibb is an award-winning and renowned nature and landscape photographer based in Northern California. She is known for her mastery of "Intimate Landscapes" — small scenes derived from a large landscape.

The youngest of nine, she spent her early life playing and exploring the rural Northern California mountain area of her childhood home. Her father, an avid mountain climber and nature lover, made sure his kids shared his passion for the outdoors. After his death in a climbing accident, her mother continued to encourage an attachment to nature, ensuring that family vacations were spent outdoors camping, hiking, and exploring.

Charlotte earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She cut her teeth in the advertising business as an art director in the 1990s, then operated her own graphic design firm in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. Throughout her long career as an artist, her photography was constantly infused in her design work. Her darkroom has since been replaced with digital darkroom tools, and her style has evolved from a somewhat journalistic approach, to one that pays tribute to the natural world.

Charlotte writes and publishes on the subject of photography and creativity, has been a keynote speaker and educator for several national photography events, served as a judge for international and local photography competitions, and exhibits her work throughout California.

She can usually be found tromping with her camera bag in the wilderness areas around the Sierra Nevada range and Yosemite National Park in her home state.

LEARN MORE

Ordering Information

Original photographs are hand made and not all sizes are kept in inventory.

Special orders from the photographer may take up to 4 weeks for delivery.

Please contact us at info@anseladams.com if you have any questions about shipping and delivery.

Print Size Information

Prices subject to change as editions sells outs.