Well, I went to Yosemite NP for the first time this last New Year's eve, and we were, unfortunately, not blessed with the best of weather. Still, in a place like Yosemite, even a cloudy day is unable to dampen the wonder the place exudes. As the great monoliths emerge from the white mists and reveal their titanic and forbidding faces, I found that the weather gave me a unique opportunity to do some near black and white work, with some splashes of color. Sandwiched between white mist and white snows, the trees acquire and interesting character as the only colored things really visible.
Hope you enjoy these first few pictures from my Yosemite series.
BTW those trees were orange because their leaves were scorched in a control burn fire. I stood in that exact spot late in November when there was less snow. It's prettier with the coat of snow. Their burns are meant to reduce fire load (brush, etc.) shame they damaged this tree though. You can see it has lost a limb.
Lovely photos,
I like #1 . There are like 3 layers to it. The sticks in the snow give it depth for the fist layer, then you have the green trees, then the mountain.
Tim - Thanks for your kind words. I am processing these images slowly, and I hope to go back up there soon, before the snow melts, but perhaps when the weather is a little... well... different.
Karthik - Thanks for looking. I know you have visited Yosemite NP recently, as you are fortunate enough to live near the park. Let me know if you ever want to meet up out there.
Thanks so much for that bit of background. I was wondering what had become of this sad old tree, as it was literally falling apart out there, looking very lonely and forlorn. Now I know some of its history.
Kyle - Thanks so much for your generous comments.I am quite honored that I have posted something here that you would consider a wall hanger. I have been debating whether I should or shouldn't print that one large, but in light of your comments, maybe I should be asking how large I should be printing it instead. So thanks again for your encouragement.
Mike - Thanks for posting. I am always appreciative or your thoughtful perspectives on my images, as you often reveal things to me that I myself missed in the post-processing. Those twigs in the snow were, initially, distracting for me, and I considered not working with this RAW file at all. I am glad that you found some purpose for them in the photo; in retrospect, they are quite important toward establishing that depth that you are talking about. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for looking. I found the color in #2 quite striking myself, both before capturing the image and after post processing the final result. I was a little worried as to whether I was able to isolate it well enough, but there the mists played a crucial role in reducing the colors and contrast from some of the background.
Both are delicate , delightful and atmospheric images , Arka . Both convey a strong impression of cold desolation , thankfully relieved by those splashes of green and russet . Nicely captured and presented .
Arka: I really like the first one! Wow, it is so subtle and so nicely balanced. I agree that either of these should be wallhangers. Keep them coming, man. GREAT stuff.
Adrian - Thanks for your comments. Having grown up in snowy climes myself, I find myself often missing it around this time of year, living in Southern California. Yosemite was a great chance for me to experience the snow in a beautiful place, and so I was pretty excited about trying to convey that wonderment through photography.
Larry - Thanks for your encouragement. It's always a lift to get a compliment from you.
Jeffrey - You know, when I first came into the park, I was a little dismayed by the weather, but then I ended up coming to the quick realization that the entire park was basically a black and white with selective saturation of colors. I kind of went with that theme, and I tried to make some lemons out of lemonade here, though I must admit, Yosemite is hard pressed to give you anything but the finest of lemons to work with. Glad you like these, and thanks for commenting.
