Yosemite National Park

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.