I will be visiting Yosemite for the 1st time in a week and have the following questions:

1) is the photography walk tour offered by the park worth it?

2) is it better to drive around in my own car or take the free shuttle?

3) It will probably be cold at nite around this time and gets dark after 6 p.m. Should I venture out to take night photos around this time?

Yes, I've picked up the Michael Frye's book Praying that the weather will be fine when I get there.....

Thanks for your help.

1. Probably not, but I have never taken it.

2. Your own car + wherever you want to go + your own time = great time in Yosemite.

3. If you feel so inclined to do so. The moon will still be pretty large and could cast some neat light onto the rock faces. Keep a look out for bear. They're generally harmless but nonetheless they're still there and they are used to humans...

I heard Tioga pass and the higher elevations are already closed for the season but don't hold me to that.

I'm no Yosemite "expert" but there are a few people on here that can give you way more insight than me.

Have fun! You'll love it.

Tim

Your first trip to Yosemite... how cool! Now Tim makes some very good suggestions... but I will have to probably disagree with him on most accounts...

1. Myself, I never take phototours. Unless that is the only way to see something, then one has no choice. But since you are asking about the phototour, I would suggest you take it. It's a great way to meet others, and to learn some cool facts about Yosemite. So yes, go for it. You will still have plenty of time to roam around on your own.

2. As to the car vs shuttle. It's whatever you want. The shuttles run constantly, so you still have lot's of freedom. Now I am one to always have my truck with me, but one summer I just decided to park my truck once I got to Camp Curry and only use the shuttle. It was a blast! Now, the shuttle bus won't get you everywhere, so for sure you will need to drive to the Tunnel Overview, or the Valley View, or Bridalveil falls, etc...

3. Anytime is a great time to take night shots! So that just depends on you. I wouldn't be worrying about bears. Have you taken night photo's before?

You will be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty when you get there. So just enjoy it! It's an experience that you will never forget.

Jim

Tioga pass is not closed. None of the roads are closed in the park and probably won't be closed for at least a few weeks. They do not close permanently until a really large storm blows through. Smaller storms may close the road for a couple of days, however. Best to check conditions before heading up there.

And the bears are nothing to worry about - day or night. Keep your car clean of food/smelly items, such as deodorant, lotion, mints, etc. or they could tear into your car looking for a treat.

Tim, Jim and nefarius,

Wow, thanks so much for the feedback, really appreciate it! Yes, I've been watching the weather closely, really hope that the weather turns out ok this coming weekends, looks like rain is in the forecast, but things might change

Jim,

I haven't done much night photography but would like to try some at Yosemite. Tripod and long exposures would be fun.

Just returned from Yosemite and at this time of year there are no crowds or traffic. Tioga pass is open, but cold. Most of the best photo ops are in the valley,and don't bother going to Getch Hetchy.

oops, thats Hetch Hetchy

Visit Phil Hawkins' (FMer) Yosemite website for detailed information:
http://www.yosemitefun.com/index.htm

yeap wrote:
I will be visiting Yosemite for the 1st time in a week and have the following questions:

1) is the photography walk tour offered by the park worth it?


For all of the reasons that Jim mentioned I think that it's a fine idea. It will be during the day and likely not in very good light but it is a great chance to scout some locations for the hours of the day that the light is good.

yeap wrote:
2) is it better to drive around in my own car or take the free shuttle?


The shuttle is fine but they don't stop everywhere you'll likely want to shoot. You'd have to stop at the nearest stop and walk, sometimes quite a bit. I encourage walking in the park but it'll chew up a bunch of time that you could otherwise use for shooting.

yeap wrote:
3) It will probably be cold at nite around this time and gets dark after 6 p.m. Should I venture out to take night photos around this time?


Absolutely. If you're there during a full moon the valley can be amazing to photograph. El Capitan Meadow and Cathedral beach are both great spots to photograph El Cap by moonlight. If the Glacier Point road is still open, then GP is another great spot to photograph Yosemite by night. No full moon? No problem. Shoot star trails from just about any place in the Valley that you can put a familiar landmark in silhouette.

Cheers,
Doug

Keep your eye on the weather forecast. They are calling for weather next weekend. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, in fact a clearing storm is a fabulous time to be photographing in Yosemite. The black oaks are very pretty right now.

Thanks for the info, never plan to visit Hetch Hetchy anyway since I only can spend 2 days there.

hbladman wrote:
Just returned from Yosemite and at this time of year there are no crowds or traffic. Tioga pass is open, but cold. Most of the best photo ops are in the valley,and don't bother going to Getch Hetchy.

Yea, already checked out his website before asking questions here.

Jarvone wrote:
Visit Phil Hawkins' (FMer) Yosemite website for detailed information:
http://www.yosemitefun.com/index.htm

Doug,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it. I will probably drive as suggested so I can stop wherever and whenever I want to.

I've been thinking of experimenting with my first star trails shot but not sure if I want to be in the cold for hours though:


beerguy wrote:
yeap wrote:
I will be visiting Yosemite for the 1st time in a week and have the following questions:

1) is the photography walk tour offered by the park worth it?


For all of the reasons that Jim mentioned I think that it's a fine idea. It will be during the day and likely not in very good light but it is a great chance to scout some locations for the hours of the day that the light is good.

yeap wrote:
2) is it better to drive around in my own car or take the free shuttle?


The shuttle is fine but they don't stop everywhere you'll likely want to shoot. You'd have to stop at the nearest stop and walk, sometimes quite a bit. I encourage walking in the park but it'll chew up a bunch of time that you could otherwise use for shooting.

yeap wrote:
3) It will probably be cold at nite around this time and gets dark after 6 p.m. Should I venture out to take night photos around this time?


Absolutely. If you're there during a full moon the valley can be amazing to photograph. El Capitan Meadow and Cathedral beach are both great spots to photograph El Cap by moonlight. If the Glacier Point road is still open, then GP is another great spot to photograph Yosemite by night. No full moon? No problem. Shoot star trails from just about any place in the Valley that you can put a familiar landmark in silhouette.

Cheers,
Doug

Rosemary,

Thanks for the info. I checked the weather forecast last nite, it looked ok, may be it got changed again. I can deal with rain storm but not snow storm

Rosemary R wrote:
Keep your eye on the weather forecast. They are calling for weather next weekend. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, in fact a clearing storm is a fabulous time to be photographing in Yosemite. The black oaks are very pretty right now.

yeap,

Yosemite valley is roughly only 4000 above sea level. It would be very rare to see snow in the valley this time of year. Even if it happens it's even less likely that it'll stick. Don't let weather deter you. Right after a storm is the best time to shoot.

yeap wrote:
1) is the photography walk tour offered by the park worth it?

The "word on the street" is that it is probably geared more towards very casual shooters, perhaps more the point and shoot crowd. However, there are some very smart and talented people associated with the Ansel Adams Gallery - if you go in at an uncrowded time and manage to engage them in conversation there is a lot to learn.

Many photographers will also engage in conversation - though it is important to be sensitive to a few things: whether or not they really know what they are talking about, whether they are the sort who love to talk or not, and when enough is enough. :-)

2) is it better to drive around in my own car or take the free shuttle?

Tough question, actually. If you are carrying a lot of gear it can be very awkward to schlep it around on a crowded shuttle. I know I've done it a few times and gotten a few odd stares. Of course it will be less crowded when you are there, being that this is the off season.

If you have not shot in the Valley before, a car is quite useful. You can have all of your gear with you and you can get more quickly from place to place - and timing can be pretty important since certain conditions happen only at the right moments.

But being attached to your car will tend to head you towards "icons." Again, if you are new to shooting in the Valley, I think there is nothing wrong with starting with icons. But if you want to really get to know the place I think you need to get out and about and spend significant time just wandering and looking.

I do my best work there - but not exclusively so - when I'm on foot.

3) It will probably be cold at nite around this time and gets dark after 6 p.m. Should I venture out to take night photos around this time?

Sure, if you like to do that sort of thing.

Yes, I've picked up the Michael Frye's book Praying that the weather will be fine when I get there.....

Actually I pray that the weather will NOT be fine! :-)

The Sierras can be afflicted with (sometimes) weeks of "perfect" blue sky weather. BORING! I'd much rather have a clearing storm, some snow, ground fog and so forth. When the weather is too good, sometimes I don't bother going!

:-)

To touch on a few other points from previous posts:

In the fall, Tioga will close from time to time for a few days (as will Glacier Point road) when early light storms dust the higher elevations. This has already happened a few times this season. Eventually there will be a significant series of winter storms and the road will close for the season.

If this is literally your first view of the Valley and you can arrange it, come in from the south entrance via the Wawona Tunnel. Be sure your seatbelt is on and you have slowed down when you first see the view as you exit the tunnel... :-)

While the "crowds" diminish in the off-season, they don't exactly disappear. On Saturday I did get a campsite in the Valley on a drop-in basis (almost unheard of in the summer), but it was the LAST one available.

Dan

By the way, I was there this weekend. Fall colors were great but not yet finished in my view. I always shoot for Nov. 1 for fall color in the Valley and it is my subjective impression that things might be just a bit later than usual this year. For example, I saw a lot more dogwoods with color this year than last.

Dan

Dan,

Thanks for taking your time to answer my questions in great details, really appreciate it.

I only have 2 days to spend there, so I probably won't be walking too much to explore.

Glad to hear that the fall colors are not finished yet.

yeap wrote:
I will be visiting Yosemite for the 1st time in a week and have the following questions:



3) It will probably be cold at nite around this time and gets dark after 6 p.m. Should I venture out to take night photos around this time?

.

I was out there again last year. I always go out at night to take photos, but then I'm quite comfortable in the woods by myself at night. I go to the usually crowded places. At night no one is there! I'm a life long hunter and experienced outdoorsman and take two flashlights and a compass. My favorite time to photo is at night. I bring 4-8 Nikon SB-28 flash with me, CyberSync triggers, and have at it. Here's a couple of shots from last summer taken at night. My very favorite place of all is the Mariposa Grove. My favorite thing in the whole state of California are the big trees. I could sit and look at them all day. (And photo them all night. ) They are magnificient! I actually prefer taking shots at night rather than daytime.

Kent in SD
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Kent,

Thanks for sharing the info and pics. The 2nd one sure looks interesting. Don't think that I'm as brave as you are to venture to the Mariposa Grove in the dark