Around the rim of Yosemite Valley is a one of a kind ecosystem, that is nearly 100% different from whats found only a half mile down the valley walls. 100' tall Pine Trees stand like barriers around the high altitude meadows in the Sierra's. The abundance of different animals is matched by the amount of different plants. Small clusters of green stalks sprouting from the ground caught my attention. These Corn Lillies (no relation to actual corn) were so saturated compared to their surroundings I knew I had to take a photo. This particular group of plants was perfect for what I needed, but the mid day sun was too harsh to capture the soft curves of the plants, so I returned 4 separate times my first day in the park. About a half hour after the sun hid behind the mountains was exactly what I needed. With the sky dimming, I had to work fast to capture this moment. The photo turned out better than I could've imagined. The perfection of the new sprouts was unique from any plant I've seen before.
The first morning we were in Yosemite, we decided to make an early morning trip to Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to beat the crowd and get the soft lighting of the morning on the western slopes of the sierras. We were the first people to arrive in the parking lot at the bottom of the grove. I got bundled up in a thick jacket to keep my mind off the near freezing temperatures. The first sight that anyone walking through Mariposa will see is this 2,000 year old Sequioa, which fell over 300 years ago. With the roots spreading outwards 15' in the air, they seem to dwarf anyone standing near them. Looking at the roots, you could get a sense of these thick mangled roots working for millennia to bring nutrients to this giant. Although the grandness of the scale is lost here, the weathering of thousands of years of life was evident in the rough texture of the roots.
After an early trip to tunnel view in Yosemite, we headed down into the valley to relax in one of the meadows and enjoy the sunrise. As we walked through the knee high blades of grass and wildflowers, the grass caught my eye. Each one of the thousands of blades of grass had dew, from the chilly night before, resting on the tips of each piece. I had to attach a special piece to my lens so I could get right up next to these microscopic water drops. I had to work quick before, if the sun got too high in the sky, I would lose the brilliant specks of sunshine in each of the drops. I searched for the perfect blades of grass that could express the small scale of the drops while keeping an interesting scene. The last photo I took of the grass ended up being one of my favorites from that morning. Two blades of grass with a "starburst" at their highest point, were connected by a small strand of a spiderweb, and the thousands of other dew drops can be seen shining in the background.
