I recently took a trip to Yosemite for two purposes. The first was to feed my soul. The second was to capture some images. My first trip to Yosemite was in the late 70’s and i’ve been back more than a hundred times. For two years I lived in Mammoth Lakes and would travel to the valley and Tioga pass often. To say that this National Park was one of my favorite places would be a gross understatement. I’m not a religious person but when i’m there I feel closer to whatever power exists beyond what we can see in our physical world. I feel whole again. Making images of this amazing location just makes sense for me. So I took my camera bag and drove the four hours and camped for two nights in the park.

For whatever reason I stuck to iconic locations. This first image is from the Tunnel View parking area on Highway 41, as you enter the valley. I have shot this so many times. Winter is my favorite time of year for the park in general for photography but you never know what you may capture any time of year. The view is always changing, clouds, waterfalls, lighting, all dynamic and can change in an instant. The best time of day for this location is the afternoon or closer to sunset. This image was taken at 4:11pm.

Path to Yosemite Falls. Leica Q2. Upper and Lower Falls in view.

Yosemite Falls, another iconic location in the park. When you shoot the valley, it is all about timing. Early in the day, before noon/one o’clock, the sun illuminates the North side of the valley, the perfect time of day to make images of the falls or El Capitan, from the valley floor.

Lower Yosemite Falls Viewpoint. Leica Q2.

An easy walk on a wide path leads you to the lower falls view. The myst was present but not heavy. I did have to protect my camera so that it didn’t get drenched as I walked out on the bridge directly in front of the falls. There are many tourists, so don’t expect to have a ton of space to shoot and people will walk in front of you to get their shot, no matter how close you are to the edge of the walkway. The little girl with the stick was the highlight of this image for me.

Black and white is my preference for images of Yosemite. I have been a fan of Ansel Adams most my life. My inspiration comes from the many images he made of this and other landscapes. The texture, shades of gray just work for me.

This is the identical image edited for color. I’ll let you decide which one is better.

So many ways to capture the falls. There are so many different views of the falls from the valley. I need to work on different compositions and not always take the most obvious shot.

View of Half Dome, inside the Awhanee Hotel.

Half Dome, another highlight of the valley, is the backdrop for so many locations throughout the valley. On the South side of the valley, it is in full sun in the late morning until sunset.

For me clouds are the key to amazing images in this location. They add so much to the views of these granite walls. In the afternoon, beginning around 1pm, they usually appear east of the valley and sometimes move westward. My favorite time is when a storm is clearing, in the Winter.

Boardwalk Just West of Curry Village, Leica Q2

Images are literally everywhere. For this image I would rather have used the boardwalk as a leading line to the view but the clouds were in the wrong place. I couldn’t exclude these beautiful clouds for the sake of composition.

Foreground elements can add to a composition and create a different feel, a more artistic view. I need to take more chances with my images. Thinking different and using surrounding elements to add to epic vies. Anyone can point a camera at something and snap an image. I hope to do more. I want the viewer to think about what they are observing. There is more than meets the eye and incorporating that into an image can be hard. In my mind it is also very subjective. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I strive to make art with my images, something to linger on, enjoy and find meaning.

I finished out the trip with a drive up to Glacier Point. This amazing view of Half Dome is one that I had never experienced before. Sunset is the perfect time to capture this view. Do I wish there were more clouds? Sure! If you feel half of what I felt standing there, making this image, then I’ve accomplished my goal! This was just a quick trip to this amazing valley and I hope to return again and again.

Until Next Time,

John

Yosemite!

Mixing Analog With Digital