Yosemite Valley Fall 2022
The Yosemite Valley in the fall is a magical place. The crowds of the summer have departed. There is a quiet calm as the valley awaits the first snows. If you catch it just right, the trees start to provide some fall color. The waterfall are barely running, but the slow moving Merced River provides reflections that mirror the iconic peaks in the valley. And if you wait for it, you may have a few minutes of magic light as the sun rises or sets behind the valley walls.
El Capitan at Last Light
As you wait for the sun to set on a cloudy day, you just have to hope for the perfect break in the clouds at just the right moment. If luck is with you, the red light as the sun sets over the canyon walls causes El Capitan to glow. It is dream light for a photographer, but something anyone can appreciate. Shot with Sony A1 and Zeiss 24-70 F4 lens at 34mm, 1/20 second f/9.0
Sunrise Oak and Half Dome
A couple of minutes from the Yosemite Valley Lodge is an open meadow with a grand oak tree with Half Dome as a backdrop. You have to arrive early to secure the spot you want as this is one of the classic Yosemite shots. And then you wait for the sun to slowly rise above the canyon walls until changing leaves glow. The magic light lasts for just a few minutes, so it is worth testing out a few compositions as you wait. Shot with 70-200 lens from a distance to allow for compression of the image.
The Three Brothers on the Merced
The banks of the slow moving fall Merced River provide ample opportunity for mirror like reflections. As the trees and grasses change colors they provide accents to the scene. The Three Brothers are just being accented with the light from the rising sun as it begins to clear the walls of the valley to the east. Shot with a 14mm wide angle lens at f11 1/10 second exposure.
Reflections of El Capitan
El Capitan is one of the iconic peaks in the Yosemite Valley. A favorite of climbers and photographers alike. And yes there are people climbing the face. They are tiny specks again the great granite walls. The climb takes days, so the drag supplies in bags as they climb and sleep on ledges or hanging from the walls. A soft morning light and a little bit of color in the sky and trees, and the reflections of the glasslike Merced highlight the great peak. Shot with Sony 14mm f1.8 at f11 and 1/10 of second exposure.
Fall Color and the Giant Sequoias.
As you enter the park from the south on 41 one of the first opportunities no one should miss is the Mariposa Grove. You have to park and take a short bus ride up to the grove. The Giant Sequoia trees tower over the path. It is difficult to show the grander of these ancient majestic trees. Sometimes you just need to put the camera down and soak in the feel of a place. 70-200mm at 70mm f4 1/100th.
And a few more to get a feel of the place
Fall Color on the Bank of the Merced
Three Brothers
ElCap and the Brothers
Sunset Reflections