Jeff pauses to have his picture taking while hiking along the Wapama Falls Trail
I was very impressed to come across such large ferns as we hiked the Wapama Falls Trail at Hetch Hetchy. I am nearly six feet tall so we could surmise that the ferns were more than four feet high. They were lush and full. The wet spring and probably accounts for some of the height.
BTW, this is my usual get-up for hiking and photography. My two cameras basically at the ready with my JPEG-only camera tucked into one of the side pockets of the belly pack. There is a variety of supplies inside the belly pack. If you are interested, you can read more about it in my previous post:
A scene along the Wapama Falls Trail – Hetch Hetchy
When we plan to hike, we plan to hike. Unless there is a deluge or lighting or hail, etc., we hike. We spent a week hiking in the Grand Tetons where it rained on us at some point every day for a week. The best weather day was the day we left for home. Only one day was a complete wash out because we thought it would not be safe to hike in a solid downpour. We took that opportunity to refresh ourselves. The highlight for us that day was a visit to the local Dairy Queen where they were replaying the movie Shane in a continuous loop.
The day we left Yosemite Valley for Hetch Hetchy, the weather was partly sunny. We understood that the forecast, which we always check, was calling for cloudy weather with the possibility of rain. We always carry a poncho or some sort of rain gear so let it rain! Shortly after we arrived at the Wapama Falls Trail, the clouds started to roll in.
Clouds can be helpful to the hiking photographer because it tends to difuse the light and it can provide a dramatic sky. The picture above is a simple JPEG taken with my oldest camera with the least resolution, but I like it anyway. That simple little camera does and adequate job of recording the scene. I favor the golden tones against the dreariness of the overall vista.
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
JBRish.com originally published this post *All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.
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Meta Data – Day 135 YOY – Year of Yosemite
File Name: 3594.JPG
Capture time: 2:49:56 PM
Capture date: June 11, 2016
Exposure: 1/640 sec @ f/4
Focal Length: 5.8mm
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Canon PowerShot A590 IS
“Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” – Theodore Roethke
This quote in particular speaks to some of the sentiments I have shared over the past week or so when I spoke of my exhilaration when discovering nature’s miracles large and small. Roethke sums it up quite well in his quote.
**NOTE** – I will provide the Metadata for the picture below, but it isn’t as applicable as it might have been because the photograph was converted to black and white via Lightroom. It was originally captured as a color image.
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
JBRish.com originally published this post *All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.
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Meta Data – Day 134 YOY – Year of Yosemite
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Capture date: June 9, 2016
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Focal Length: 42mm
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Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Readers of JBRish know that I enjoy hiking and photography. If the truth be told, I enjoy photography more. Interestingly, however, when I put the two together, they have a beautiful synergy that gives me great satisfaction. Taking photographs also helps to keep the memories alive.
I found Thomas Heaton’s video (below) engaging. It contains worthy messages and photographs. On his blog, he uses this quote:
“We are not content with a nice view. We need the best view.”
This is very true. MOST landscape or scenery photographers do want the “best view.” I have come to realize that at my age, having captured a nice view or perhaps a very good view, might be good enough for me.
Most landscape photographers strive for the golden hours near sunrise and sunset and I agree that generally is the best light for landscapes, but can’t those vistas have a beauty of their own under different lighting conditions? I think they can.
After you watch the video, Wake Up. There’s More to Landscape Photography (below), I want to refer you to one of Heaton’s blog posts:
Yosemite Valley – I am People in which he decries the crush of the crowd at Yosemite, but then moves on to exclaim the wonder of it all.
When we visited Yosemite last June, which is the basis for my Year of Yosemite project, we found it extremely busy. It was so busy that even though we stayed in the Valley and paid for a nice room near the Lodge, we were NOT GUARANTEED a parking space.
It felt a bit like a Seinfeld episode. They can take the reservation for the room and you probably need a car to get there, but there may not be a parking spot. When I lived in NYC as a child, my parents would have to think really hard before we moved the car and relinquished our parking spot. I have come full circle more than fifty years later; but I digress…
If you liked any of my photographs of Yosemite, Thomas Heaton has captured much more of the majesty than I could manage and I think you will really like his work!
The sun begins to set and the light on Half Dome turns golden
The last several posts were focused around Lembert Dome, but today’s post is of Yosemite’s most famous feature, Half Dome. We were fortunate to be in residence within walking distance of this field and I was drawn to it on a number of occasions.
Recent rains left a bevy of puddles in the low lying areas, to the delight of photographers seeking to capture reflections of the iconic rock as it loomed over the meadow. It is hard to get tired of this view!
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
JBRish.com originally published this post *All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.
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Meta Data – Day 133 YOY – Year of Yosemite
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Capture time: 7:09:24 AM
Capture date: June 7, 2016
Exposure: 1/250 sec @ f/8
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Nikon D3300
