Yosemite

Afterglow

My final full day in the park was definitely hectic. There were so many spots that I still wanted to see, but didn't have the time. I was keeping my fingers crossed for my last sunset in the park to be good, the last few days hadn't bee too remarkable for colors in the sky. We made a loop around the park searching for anything unique that we hadn't seen yet, and this spot really stuck out to me. A small bridge crossing the river had the perfect viewpoint to see Half Dome framed by the hundred foot tall pine trees. I must have stood in that spot for an hour to try to capture any sort of color that might pop out at any time. When I was about to give up, one short burst of light appeared like a spotlight above half dome, and I set my camera to capture it. My camera sat gathering the light for over a minute, which was the extent of that scene. The frame before this, and the frame after this, didn't capture anything like this one did. I was glad I was there to see it!

Cathedral

This was one of the first photos I took while I was out in Yosemite Vally's bitterly cold winter. We made it there just in time for sunset, but due to Yosemite being a deep valley, the typical sunset photos aren't quite the same. I walked through some shin-deep snow in one of the meadows to some trees in the distance. The freezing cold temperatures covered the trees in a fragile layer of frost. They looked like something you'd only see in a storybook. I wanted to capture these trees the first night I was there because the frost could melt away the following day if it got warm enough. It took a little bit of searching for the right angle to show these trees with their surroundings. As I walked around, the last beams of light were creating a warm glow on the highest point of Cathedral Rock. As I positioned myself to capture this moment I noticed the frosted trees appear to almost lean and reach towards the sunny peak, and I knew I had my shot. One last decision I made was to actually capture this scene with a panorama, making sure I had every last detail in the small shards of ice clinging to the trees. Everything from the minuscule ice, to the towering mountain made this a special photograph for me.

Ice Abstract

I had to make another trip out to Yosemite over the New Year holiday, making it my third trip! I never get tired of seeing the sights in Yosemite, especially this time, being my first time there in the winter. On my first morning in the park, the temperature was nearly 20 degrees below freezing, plenty cold to create some great looking ice and frost along the ground and river. I made a short trek through some of the meadows and along the river winding through the valley. A sharp bend in the river gathered a massive slab of ice and created several opportunities for photos. I stepped cautiously onto the ice and shuffled further out over the river to capture the minute details of the sheet of ice.

Frosted Valley

Shooting in the snow was unlike anything I've ever tried before. Having never really seen it before, I had to think on my toes to try to get the right shots. I found that while the snow and frost was absolutely amazing, it was much more difficult to shoot in. Any footprint in the snow created imperfections in the scene, and the typical colors I look to highlight in my scene simply weren't there anymore. I had to look for spots people hadn't walked, and I looked for scenes highlighting the warm colors of the granite walls. I'm not sure if this spot has a specific name, but after hours of searching for a great sunset location, this was perfect. The orange glow from the valley walls helped bring a unique color to the cool blue surroundings of the snow. I made sure to take a photo with a long exposure to keep the water looking smooth to highlight the reflected light from El Capitan.

Emerald Twilight

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.

Fallen Monarch

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.

Morning Dew

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.

Pure

Before venturing out to Yosemite, I had to know everything possible about the features of the valley and how they related to the sun. I checked exactly when the sun would rise and set relative to each point in the park. This morning my girlfriend and I had to wake up while the stars were still lighting the way in order to get positioned perfectly for the rising sun. As the brightening sky started showing hints of the sun getting higher, beams of light began pouring over the faces of some of Yosemite's iconic formations. We had to wait for the right second to get the full impact if what I was seeing before me. When the sun finally started to give its light to the valley floor, illuminating the treetops, I was amazed at the unbelievable sight set before me. At that moment I was able to see the pureness of Yosemite, still preserved as it had been discovered by the Ahwahnechee Native Americans thousands of years ago. Still in awe of what I was seeing, I snapped a few photos knowing that I had what I wanted. With El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Dome, and the Cathedral Rocks all making their presence known, this was one of the key moments while we were there.