There's an old joke passed around in Yosemite. The exact words vary, but it involves a brief conversation between a ranger and a first-time visitor:
VISITOR: I only have one day here. What should I do?
RANGER: Only one day? Sit on a rock and weep.
I had only one day (on this visit) but instead of weeping I made photographs.
I live close enough that it is possible, though a bit grueling, to drive up for the day, photograph, and drive back home (very late at night.) Since the peak of autumn color is right around Halloween (a few weeks later than that of the Eastern Sierra aspens) and I had only one day, a one-day up-and-back trip would have to do.
On the road quite a few hours before dawn, I mostly drove from the Bay Area in the dark, arriving in the Valley just after sunrise as planned. I was initially disappointed to find a lot of smoke from a managed fire that was clearing out underbrush the Valley. But it actually turned out to create some interesting opportunities, and the photographs I'll share all are affected by the smoke, with one possible exception. Also, I made no photographs at all on this trip that focused on the geologic features of the Valley. Instead, my subjects ended up. being meadows, trees... and that smoke.
Longviewer wrote:
The blue background definitely sets the leaves off nicely.
Definitely best for the single day to be closer to the other solstice for max viewing!
Thanks for the comment on the smoke. It turn out to be a useful subject!
Actually… I think it is often better to be closer to the winter solstice. That might seem counterintuitive — as you point out, the daylight lasts longer in the summer. On the other hand, those midday hours of intense, directly-overhead summer light are not necessarily ideal for this kind of photography. In addition, I can get up a lot later and still see sunrise in the winter… and I can leave for home at sunset in the winter and arrive a lot earlier!
(There’s a place where I do winter bird photography in the winder that is a couple of hours from where I live. I can shoot sunset there, drive home, and be there in time for late dinner. If I photograph until after sunset in Yosemite and then get in the car to drive home… I’m not getting there until close to 1:00AM!)
junglialoh wrote:
Well done in nice perspective view
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csenior wrote:
From disappointment to opportunity—and you certainly made the most of it. I like the added dimension that the smoke brings to the images.
Nicely done!
Chuck
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Jim Dockery wrote:
Beautiful trees. Interesting that you didn't include any cliffs.
Thanks to the three of you.
Thanks for the positive comment on the effect of the smoke. I think it is important that the view _know_ that the haze comes from smoke (not fog, etc.), which explains the titles.
Jim, there are some cliffs in these photographs if you look closely... but they are more of a subtle background element.
But your point is right on. After I left the park and was musing on my long drive home, it hit me that I had not make cliffs or other geological features my subjects on this visit... at all. I can imagine that for folks who don't get to the Valley quite as often this would seem pretty darned strange! But this time my focus was on something else — mainly on the fall colors. (T/here's a more mundane reason, too, I suppose. That smoke that created an interesting fog-like haze among the trees wasn't so conducive to the big landscapes.)
edwin333 wrote:
They are all wonderful, but if I had to pick, then it is #3 and 5.
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arjen_m wrote:
Wow nice set! Must be wonderful to live within driving distance to the park.
Arjen
Thank you both1
#3 seems to get favorited a lot. :-)
Driving distance form the park is a relative thing, though I do count myself lucky. The Vally is just under four hours in good conditions… and I’m just hours from redwoods, less than an hour from the Pacific Ocean, a bit more than five hours from the eastern Sierra, and less than a day’s drive from Death Valley.OK, that’s lucky! :-)
