A dozen from Yosemite

coscorrosa

Yosemite is so amazing... here's a sampling of shots taken from dawn to dusk during my all too brief trip last week.

#1: Rainbow over Yosemite Valley (I'll offer this shot as an exclusive because all the other photographers ran away when it started raining!)



#2: Fog over Yosemite Valley



#3: Bridalveil Fall Rainbows



#4: Dogwood and the Merced River (unfortunately the Dogwood blooms were a little past peak when I arrived)



#5: Oncoming rain storm (which lead to the rainbow in the first shot)



#6: El Capitan and Half Dome at sunrise



#7: Stormy day at Bridalveil Fall



#8: Sunlight over the valley



#9: Rainbows over Yosemite Creek



#10: Before dawn from Tunnel View



#11: Half Dome reflecting in the Merced (I took this shot while standing in the river)



#12: Gentle Giant (one of the many sequoias in the Mariposa Grove)

ront

I have to be honest(with myself) here Ron and say that I wish that I had half the talent that you do!! These are incredible!! I truly am hard pressed to pic a favorite, but #8 is pretty incredible. The light is just amazing!

Ron

r3t1awr3yd

3,8,9, and 10. WOWZERS. Very wonderful captures.

NorthernFocus

Really nice set of images. What a range of stuff here. Nice...

CWSkopec

Wonderful images, Ron. 1, 6 & 10 are simply gorgeous!

Was it warm enough there for car camping yet or did you have to crash at the lodge?

dogwood

Another set of awesome landscape photos, Ron! Thanks for sharing.

Yosem

yosemite dozen
I prefer images 1 and 9 out of the collection. Some nice finds from tunnel view and great variety with the river and fall images. Great work here

Fred W

Hi Ron,

Beautiful rainbow in pic #1, great light capture in #8. Very nice - All !!!!
I may have been shooting on the other side of the mountain in Death Valley while you were in Yosemite.

I heard that the roads in the higher elevation were closed due to snow two weeks ago.

rpcrowe

I love #12
I never had the energy to get to Tunnel View at that time of day. The shot is beautiful...

coscorrosa

ront wrote: »

I have to be honest(with myself) here Ron and say that I wish that I had half the talent that you do!! These are incredible!! I truly am hard pressed to pic a favorite, but #8 is pretty incredible. The light is just amazing!

Ron

Thanks Ron, #8 was pretty cool, it was about 20-30 minutes after sunrise, I wanted to see if the fog in the foreground would light up.

r3t1awr3yd wrote: »

3,8,9, and 10. WOWZERS. Very wonderful captures.

Thanks!

NorthernFocus wrote: »

Really nice set of images. What a range of stuff here. Nice...

There's definitely a lot of things to shoot in Yosemite - and their would have been even more if Tioga Pass or Glacier Point were open.

CWSkopec wrote: »

Wonderful images, Ron. 1, 6 & 10 are simply gorgeous!

Was it warm enough there for car camping yet or did you have to crash at the lodge?

It was cold the first day (sunrise was 28 degrees! It looks like temps are in the 80s now and there are flood warnings), after that it was moderate. I slept in the car when I was out shooting all night since sunrise was only a few hours later, but otherwise I was in a motel near El Portal which was more occupied in the middle of the day than at night.

dogwood wrote: »

Another set of awesome landscape photos, Ron! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

Yosem wrote: »

I prefer images 1 and 9 out of the collection. Some nice finds from tunnel view and great variety with the river and fall images. Great work here

I usually head up to Tunnel View to get an idea of what's going on in the valley (for instance, to see if there's too much fog below), and a lot of times, I remained there.

Fred W wrote: »

Hi Ron,

Beautiful rainbow in pic #1, great light capture in #8. Very nice - All !!!!
I may have been shooting on the other side of the mountain in Death Valley while you were in Yosemite.

I heard that the roads in the higher elevation were closed due to snow two weeks ago.

Tioga Pass was still closed, not sure about the other roads east of Yosemite. I was thinking of heading to Death Valley if Tioga Pass was open but it wasn't, so it would be a 10 hour drive (which is doable, but it would mean I would have missed a sunrise, since I always like to shoot sunset in Yosemite).

rpcrowe wrote: »

I never had the energy to get to Tunnel View at that time of day. The shot is beautiful...

One way is to just sleep in your car after shooting sunset, I've done that a few times

bryanj87

Geez, what a fantastic series. 3, 6 and 10 are spectacular. I have to make it out there.

Awais Yaqub

2,6,10
Awesome job as always

Tharhawk

Wonderful! When I tried to go there, the pass closed on me but one day I hope to go back. Since it won't be anytime soon thanks for the photographic trip through the park.

Doug Solis

I like #1 thru #12. that makes it easy as they were all great captures!

coscorrosa

bryanj87 wrote: »

Geez, what a fantastic series. 3, 6 and 10 are spectacular. I have to make it out there.

Indeed you do! It's north of Joshua Tree

Awais Yaqub wrote: »

2,6,10
Awesome job as always

Thanks Awais!

Tharhawk wrote: »

Wonderful! When I tried to go there, the pass closed on me but one day I hope to go back. Since it won't be anytime soon thanks for the photographic trip through the park.

Well, you don't have to worry about me ending up on top of a mountain, so I'll let your photos substitute for that experience! Tioga Pass just opened today, so if you did find yourself down there, you'll be OK for the next few months.

Doug Solis wrote: »

I like #1 thru #12. that makes it easy as they were all great captures!

Thanks Doug!

Tharhawk

You would love the mountains, especially from the top. Fear is a learned reaction. It can be unlearned. You can make fear make you smile (okay, okay, I am often scared shitless, but I just tell people it was awesome ) and people are like, "Wow, that guy never gets scared." It's far from the truth; I just learn to like fear.

coscorrosa

Tharhawk wrote: »

You would love the mountains, especially from the top. Fear is a learned reaction. It can be unlearned. You can make fear make you smile (okay, okay, I am often scared shitless, but I just tell people it was awesome ) and people are like, "Wow, that guy never gets scared." It's far from the truth; I just learn to like fear.

I only wish fear was the issue, it's more being out of shape - getting myself into that kind of condition would require work, man! Also it would require more advanced planning and some actual technical know-how than my current system (which is check the forecast a few hours before sunrise or sunset and drive forever and sleep never).

I'm as stupid and reckless as the next guy, here's an example:



Not saying I wouldn't be afraid - I certainly would be - but that's not the thing that's blocking me (that comes later!).

filadog

Beautiful photos.

BeachBill

I guess these are okay shots. j/k I do like 1 and 2 the best.

Here is some interesting info on what goes into opening Tioga Pass each year...
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

dls

nice set (as usual ... it's sort of getting boring saying this ). had been looking forward to seeing your rainbow shot at tunnel view... i guess it pays to be patient. great shot. that, in addition to the dogwoods over the merced (nice job in keeping the flowers sharp and movement free in the longer exposure) and the double rainbow at yosemite creek are my faves.

coscorrosa

BeachBill wrote: »

I guess these are okay shots. j/k I do like 1 and 2 the best.

Here is some interesting info on what goes into opening Tioga Pass each year...
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

Thanks Bill - it's amazing the work that goes into opening some of those mountain passes and higher elevation roads. Very dangerous stuff.

dls wrote: »

nice set (as usual ... it's sort of getting boring saying this ). had been looking forward to seeing your rainbow shot at tunnel view... i guess it pays to be patient. great shot. that, in addition to the dogwoods over the merced (nice job in keeping the flowers sharp and movement free in the longer exposure) and the double rainbow at yosemite creek are my faves.

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing your photos when you get around to processing them with that fancy new computer and software.

filadog wrote: »

Beautiful photos.

Thank you!

Alpha_Plus

Amazing shots, in this thread and your other night shots. I keep seeing everyones shots of Yosemite and get way too excited. I'll be there in 4 weeks today on a holiday from Australia and can only dream of getting shots like these. If mine are half as good I'll be very happy!

We've only got 2/3 days in the park due to a rushed 6 week trip travelling over 4500 miles. What are the must see spots for early July?

coscorrosa

Alpha_Plus wrote: »

Amazing shots, in this thread and your other night shots. I keep seeing everyones shots of Yosemite and get way too excited. I'll be there in 4 weeks today on a holiday from Australia and can only dream of getting shots like these. If mine are half as good I'll be very happy!

We've only got 2/3 days in the park due to a rushed 6 week trip travelling over 4500 miles. What are the must see spots for early July?

Everywhere! All park roads are open as of a few days ago.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1930238002 is very good at highlighting the classic spots (Tunnel View, Glacier Point, Cooks Meadow, Valley View, the main waterfalls (Upper and Lower Yosemite, Bridalveil, Vernal, Nevada), and also Toulumne Meadows and Mono Lake.

schmoo

Ron you are REALLY inspiring me to get back to Yosemite.

There are plenty of shots in this forum of this place and I'm consistently surprised at how different everyone captures them. I don't think I've seen a better shot from Tunnel View than your sunrise shot with the lightbeams.

Thwack

Great series - especially the sunrise shot. I'm never awake early enough to shoot those and always wondered if they'd be worth getting up early for some day.

Where was the Bridalveil Fall rainbow shot from? Tunnel view pullout or along Southside Drive on the valley floor?

Thanks for sharing the pics.

coscorrosa

schmoo wrote: »

Ron you are REALLY inspiring me to get back to Yosemite.

There are plenty of shots in this forum of this place and I'm consistently surprised at how different everyone captures them. I don't think I've seen a better shot from Tunnel View than your sunrise shot with the lightbeams.

There's a chance I'll head to Yosemite later this month to try moonbows again, I'll let you know I might have to do the fly/rent a car thing rather than driving depending on how much time I can be away.

Thwack wrote: »

Great series - especially the sunrise shot. I'm never awake early enough to shoot those and always wondered if they'd be worth getting up early for some day.

Where was the Bridalveil Fall rainbow shot from? Tunnel view pullout or along Southside Drive on the valley floor?

Thanks for sharing the pics.

The Bridalveil Fall shot was from Tunnel View, taken around 4:30 PM (sun was at 267 degrees).

eoren1

Fantastic shots Ron - especially 2 and 6!
E

ps - I love your 'blog'

Nee7x7

I've been to Yosemite many times, but you've captured in ways I've only dreamed of! All I can say is WOW!!! Love the dogwood pic...so creative and smart of you to shoot it that way. The rest are simply breathtaking...all the sorts of photos i wish i could get but somehow most often fall far short of. Your photos are truly inspiring and frustrating at the same time, !

We were just there for a day trip on Labor Day weekend...something I do NOT recommend! The roads were jammed and it took hours just to get to Curry Village, and of course parking was not gonna happen, so we basically did a very slow drive through Yosemite Valley and out again. We came in from the west entrance along the Merced River instead of our usual HWY 41 route, so we missed the tunnel view this trip...but that's ok because we ran into some travelers who took that route and they were stuck in the tunnel with cars running their engines for 45 minutes! So no real photo ops happened this trip...just whatever could be captured from the seat of the car, sigh. But the waterfalls (well, what we could see of them) were awesome and I hope we can go back again real soon when it's a more normal time. With the heat of summer the flows disappear, so now is the time to go for the best waterfall shots (and this is actually a late season thanks to the above average snowfall this year).

Can't wait for our next trip there and I'll have your photos as the high benchmark for the sorts of shots to aim for. Thanks for sharing~ Nee

coscorrosa

eoren1 wrote: »

Fantastic shots Ron - especially 2 and 6!
E

ps - I love your 'blog'

I think it's time I replaced it with a redirect again

Nee7x7 wrote: »

I've been to Yosemite many times, but you've captured in ways I've only dreamed of! All I can say is WOW!!! Love the dogwood pic...so creative and smart of you to shoot it that way. The rest are simply breathtaking...all the sorts of photos i wish i could get but somehow most often fall far short of. Your photos are truly inspiring and frustrating at the same time, !

We were just there for a day trip on Labor Day weekend...something I do NOT recommend! The roads were jammed and it took hours just to get to Curry Village, and of course parking was not gonna happen, so we basically did a very slow drive through Yosemite Valley and out again. We came in from the west entrance along the Merced River instead of our usual HWY 41 route, so we missed the tunnel view this trip...but that's ok because we ran into some travelers who took that route and they were stuck in the tunnel with cars running their engines for 45 minutes! So no real photo ops happened this trip...just whatever could be captured from the seat of the car, sigh. But the waterfalls (well, what we could see of them) were awesome and I hope we can go back again real soon when it's a more normal time. With the heat of summer the flows disappear, so now is the time to go for the best waterfall shots (and this is actually a late season thanks to the above average snowfall this year).

Can't wait for our next trip there and I'll have your photos as the high benchmark for the sorts of shots to aim for. Thanks for sharing~ Nee

I love Yosemite (this was only my second visit, my first was in January), but I can't stand crowds and I knew it would be bad, even though the forecast was great for night photography, so I left on the Thursday before the onslaught

The water levels were much higher than when I was there in January and it was definitely noticeable. I may make a return trip this month if things work out, if not, it's likely I won't be back until winter.

dadwtwins

coscorrosa wrote: »

Yosemite is so amazing... here's a sampling of shots taken from dawn to dusk during my all too brief trip last week.

#11: Half Dome reflecting in the Merced (I took this shot while standing in the river)

What photographers would do to get a shotclap

Thwack

Ron - thanks for the info on where you shot Bridalveil from.

As for water levels, if you want some good reflection shots off the Merced River, late Oct and beyond have worked out well for me. Levels and rate of flow are down enough that there are plenty of glassy-smooth sections. If the wind kicks up, you can get some cool textures on the reflections…

Nee7x7 wrote: »

<snip>

We were just there for a day trip on Labor Day weekend...something I do NOT recommend! The roads were jammed…<snip>

I made the same mistake on Sunday of Memorial Weekend - but came back the next afternoon (Memorial Day itself) and the park was back to normal. Tons of available parking, almost nobody else on the trail to Mirror Lake, no lines at the shops on the valley floor…

But never again on the Saturday or Sunday of Memorial Weekend! (though we did see a bear as a consolation prize on the way out of the park Sunday)


The weather on Memorial Day itself was very cloudy as afternoon turned to evening. I'll take the clouds any day over the crowds though.