Some studies in light: Yosemite

Yosemite Valley's waterfalls were at the highest volume I've ever seen, and most of the meadows were flooded, allowing for some exquisite reflections.
The creeks were roiling and the valley was so green and beautiful... we had a magnificent session. Here are a few scenes I thought you might like:
(click Landscape-images to expand)

Half Dome and the Merced River, first light, 17-35, 28mm, f/8:


Merced River, early morning, 17mm, f/8:


Mossy tree, Yosemite Falls trail, 85mm, f/2.8:


Sentinel Dome from Swinging Bridge, 17mm, f/8:


Tenaya Creek just below Mirror Lake, 17mm, f/16:


Yosemite Falls Reflection, 24mm, f/8:


Yosemite Falls Reflection from Swinging Bridge, 17mm, f/11:


Yosemite Falls vignette, 30mm, f/8:


I hope you enjoy these...

Ron

 

Hi everyone,

Joel, it's one of the most beautiful scenic places on earth. You really owe it to yourself, but don't go between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Too many people.

Kjoosten:

1. Except for the Mossy Tree, these are all shot from a tripod to get all of the fine detail. Most of the shots were long-ish to long exposure times, and while I like the spontaneity that handheld shooting gives me and very often do shoot handheld, there are limits. This sort of shooting is not the type I will generally do handheld.

2. I use AF, but (as usual) I place the focal plane where I want the sharpest detail and select the aperture based on both the sweet spot of the lens and the depth of field desired. Hyperfocal techniques can do the job, but if there is a large region of non-critical foreground I prefer to set the focal plane further back than hyperfocal techniques place it.

3. Because you're elsewhere.

Good questions :^)

Eng45ine: Thanks... I'm usually quite careful re: composition and exposure, but since I was in session I was even more careful than usual as I was showing folks how to do it.

Hi Dave,

Hopefully, the people with me came away with every bit of the quality I got. Of course, that was the idea (as well as making sure they knew how to achieve that sort of work on their own). Thanks for the compliment :^)

Hi Sandy,

#6 is on my desktop right now. I really like that one a lot too...

The 17-35 is a perfect lens for this sort of thing, and I actually got mine after going to Yosemite with primes and realizing that the 17-35 really was the right lens. Between f/5.6 and f/16 there really is no better lens at these focal lengths.

You've got to get to Yosemite sometime, Sandy. You'd love it!

Gale, I've been so swamped lately I have not had time to wander around the places I usually like to go on the web. June should be a little less hectic, but I've got a book to write. I do take breaks when doing that, so I'll be around more often.

The waterfalls were unbelievable -- maybe 5-6 times the volume I'm used to seeing at this time of year. I missed some of the fun-shooting I was going to take, as I took one of the students around the valley during my scope-out tour the afternoon I arrived and the next day, as I ran into him at Bridalveil Falls the first afternoon. That meant that the hike I was planning up to Vernal and Nevada Falls couldn't be done, but since I wasn't planning on taking people up there during the session it wasn't too much of a problem. It would have been spectacular though, even with the overcast sky we had on the day I was going to go there, but I couldn't make Rob take that hike as it was obvious that the hike up to Mirror Lake was a little much for him, and he drove in with me so I couldn't go by myself.

Yosemite is really magnificent. No doubt.

Hi Sam...

You are going to love the Wyoming scenery. Make sure you head to the North end of Yellowstone when you get there. Go to Mammoth Hot Springs, make a right just before the Post Office, and head towards Roosevelt Junction. Check on your right just after you leave the last buildings -- there is a little hilly area where several herds of elk hang out. There is always at least one 7-pointer and one or more 6-pointer bulls in that area, along with numerous cows and little ones. On the way to the Junction, check out the Blacktail Lakes area for pronghorns and trumpeter swans, and also check out Floating Island Lake (esp. in the very early morning before sunrise) as there can be everything from moose to wolves. Don't forget to pull in to the Petrified Tree... in that area there are at least three black bears with cubs, and one or more boars (last fall there was a magnificent cinnamon boar working that area). Look for Rosie the Black Bear at Roosevelt Junction (she had two cubs last year -- they should be still with her). Also, look in the meadow on the left just before the Junction -- sometimes there are grey and black wolves in that area, and there are several coyotes that work that region. At the Junction, head left towards the Lamar Valley, and keep your eyes open.

You certainly won't be disappointed.

Ron