And then there’s Yosemite…
Tunnel View of Yosemite Valley. A classic.
May 2023
There is an old photography adage, if you want to take good pictures, stand in front of great places. So it was, a couple of weeks ago, I set out to one of the world’s grandest places, Yosemite National Park. It was just a day trip, so time was tight. We left the bay area at about 8 and arrived at the famous Tunnel View at about 12:30. (Thanks Merced, for the lack of road and highway signs or identifiers.)
What I got were not “portfolio” pictures. Why? Well, a number of reasons. First off the weather was perfection. Just a few puffy white clouds in the wonderfully azure sky. But due to our time constraints, we weren’t able to linger and stay for sunset and the Golden Hour, let alone the Blue Hour. The sun was high in the sky and made for some harsh light. (We photographers like the challenge of low lights and inclement weather to find those optimal portfolio images.)
That said, here’s the classic view, just for posterity. Everyone has seen it and photographed it blah blah. I mean, blah not deriding the view, just the ubiquitous quality of the shot. It IS gorgeous and that’s why everyone takes that shot.
Bridal Veil Fall.
Off to the right, Bridal Veil Fall. Framed with this red-flowered bush. Along with all of the famous falls in the valley, the historically grand snow pack from the winter and spring made many unnamed, volunteer falls along the granite walls of the Valley. All in all, the valley was filled to the brim with spring runoff.
The Merced River running high in the Yosemite Valley.
Upper and lower Yosemite Falls.
Taken from the El Capitan meadow, the famous upper and lower Yosemite Falls were fantastic. And let’s not forget what a beautiful day it was and how many Dogwood trees were in bloom. Overall, a wonderful day.
