Our shadows look out over Yosemite
In October of 2010 we added Yosemite
National Park to our trip west. It turned out
to be a wonderful experience and we also
got some great photos!
I have only posted two of the b&w photos
from the many I took because I haven't
had time to finish the rest. These two are
my favorites so far...
I gathered up my 6x10 view camera and
headed up to Glacier Point. My main
purpose with this trip to Yosemite was to
capture an image of Half Dome from
Glacier Point that was really good. We
spent five days and I photographed
Half Dome every afternoon...many
beautiful days with many nice
photos, but it wasn't until the very last
day that I captured a unique photo.
Niki photographing with my camera
standing by
Niki's stitch of Half Dome
For a change of scenery we did some hiking
in the high country near Glacier Point. It
was very chilly!
A huff 'n a puff, but we made it to the top
When we reached the top we found
this neat twisted tree. Very
photogenic.
Niki all bundled up and still photographing...
The fall colors were wonderful.
We spent the morning at Inspiration Point
waiting for the fog to lift. When it finally
the view was...well,...it was inspirational!
Inspiration Point - fog
I took several photos as the fog moved
through the valley, but this is the one
I liked the best.
We headed off to the Mariposa Grove for
a very early morning shot.
The redwood trees are truly amazing.
We arrived at Mariposa Grove before the
sun cracked over the mountain. I wanted
even lighting on the trees, but that also
meant it was dark, so my exposures were
very long. Niki took this photo of me
with my trusty old stop watch counting
the minutes.
Niki photographing the trees
We headed down to Yosemite Valley after
photographing the Mariposa Grove to
discover this wonderful light filling
the valley floor.
Niki's photo
The valley floor had this wonderful
plant seeding its self every where in
the valley. The texture was
both dynamic and soft at the same
time...NEAT! Niki must have
taken 30 shots of the seed
pods! She was in awe of the
beauty of the force of life...
This tree was surrounded by photographers!
The colors were incredible!
Back up to Half Dome for the afternoon shoot
Niki's photo for the day at Glacier Point.
The next morning we headed for the high
country on the other side of the valley. We
headed toward Tuolumne Meadows. Everything
was in their fall colors of glory...winter is on the
way. We never made it to Tuolumne
Meadows...had too much fun photographing
along the way!
We found a beautiful little lake and spent some
time hiking around the edge looking for
photographic opportunities. Beautiful spot.
The name of the place is Siesta Lake.
As we traveled further we came across these
old pines. I'm guessing they are bristle cone
pines. Wonderful textures, but they were
in awkward places and not easily reached, so
Niki photographed them with her telephoto.
Sure wish there had been some way to
reach them other than being a rock/cliff
climber! They were great!
As I was driving, Niki caught a flash through the
side of her eye, so we made a U-turn and found
a sweet little spot. We think it was Tenaya
Creek, but we're not sure. The boulders
surrounding the creek made for some fun
photography.
as
We got as far as the overlook to Tuolumne
Meadows but it was late and I wanted to
get back to Half Dome for the afternoon light,
so we turned around here and headed back.
I tried to take a photo, but the wind
made it impossible.
This is Niki's photo of what I was trying to
photograph with a large format camera, but
the wind was shaking the bellows and lifting
the dark cloth causing movement...
just didn't work.
We returned to Half Dome for the afternoon
light, but all we got was fog. I set up my
camera anyway and waited. Sometimes
wonderful things happen if you just wait...
sometimes they don't. The only way to
know is to wait and see. So, we waited
and waited and waited. The majority of the
photographers who were hanging around
hoping for the fog to clear left, but I still
waited...
Half Dome would peak out through the fog
tantalizing everyone who wanted to take a
photo, but then it would disappear again. The
sun was setting and I was afraid it would get
too dark for me to photograph if the fog
didn't lift soon...we waited and then the
fog lifted and I finally got a photo!
Glacier Point 2
As the sun began to set, the clouds turned
pink and Half Dome took on a
warm hue.
The full moon was rising as we left Half Dome.
Another satisfying and beautiful trip to
Yosemite National Park...truly a small piece
of heaven fell to earth when Yosemite
was created.
