Half Dome and clouds from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
“Time, geologic time, looks out at us from the rocks as from no other objects in the landscape… Even if we do not know our geology, there is something in the face of a cliff and in the look of a granite boulder that gives us pause.” — John Burroughs
Photography has a great ability to showcase contrasting textures, which is perhaps why hard rocks and soft clouds fit together so well. In Yosemite the rocks are a given; they’re always there. It’s the clouds that are more elusive, especially during these dry years.
A few showers reached Yosemite on Friday night and Saturday, bringing only a tenth of an inch of rain, but creating a welcome opportunity to photograph some weather. The Yosemite webcams looked interesting yesterday afternoon, so I headed up to the valley and ended up at Tunnel View. While no light ever struck El Capitan or Bridalveil Fall, I found some beautiful dappled light and swirling clouds around Half Dome, creating that wonderful close juxtaposition between rocks and clouds that occurs in Yosemite perhaps more often than anywhere else.
I was also in the valley Friday evening for the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit reception, and there were some nice clouds and moments of light that evening as well. The Renaissance reception is always a really fun event, and it was great to see a lot of friends there. Congratulations to everyone who has work in the show!
With the Renaissance reception and the weather there were a lot of photographers in the park this weekend, so I look forward to seeing some of the images people made. If you were in the park the last couple of days, please feel free to post a link to your photos in the comments – I’d love to see them, and I’m sure other people would as well.
And speaking of soft textures, the redbuds are still coming out in the Merced River Canyon, west of Yosemite. I saw at least half a dozen in full bloom, and more on the way. Again, since the redbuds have flowered so early I can’t predict what will happen, but there are already some specimens worth photographing now, and there should be more coming into full bloom during the next week.
There are showers in the forecast for the next few days, so we’ll certainly see some more clouds, but let’s hope we get a bit more rain too!
— Michael Frye
Related Post: Signs of Spring
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Yes, there were lots of photographers in the park. I am still a rookie, without editing software and no formal training, yet I read and observe what others are doing and am using my trips to Yosemite to practice on both the “art” and “science” of capturing images.
Thank you for sharing your skills and passion with so many people.
You’re welcome Joan. For what it’s worth, I have no formal training either. 🙂
Very nice, Michael! I must have missed you at Tunnel View. I was there capturing rocks and clouds as well while talking to Dan Mitchell.
I also like to work on the scene to the right of Half Dome. Here is one of the results:
Link: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1350900
Nice image Chuck, and thanks! I wasn’t with the crowds at Tunnel View, but rather off the beaten track a little, which is no doubt why we missed each other.
It was nice to see you Friday evening Michael. Even though I drove up hoping for snow Yosemite is always and eternally beautiful. Here’s a link to an image from last Friday. http://flic.kr/p/qu2s5M
Nice to see you too Mark, and very nice photo. I have some images from that time also – that was some pretty light.
Hi Michael. I was in the park last Monday when it was supposed to be storming but wasn’t. There were some nice clouds that day as well.
http://johnchico.smugmug.com/Nature/Yosemite-Feb-2015/i-jK4Wfm3/0/M/LR-0618-7-M.jpg
Nice John, thanks for sharing the link!
Hello Michael, wonderful post as always and the clouds on Saturday were phenomenal! Chris and I got up at 2:45am and drove from Sacramento to the valley that morning, so we were too tired to stay until sunset, but we both got some wonderful misty shots in the early morning and put our recent skills learned at your workshop to use! We were both wondering if you were in the valley that day and glad to see you were- amazing photo!
Thanks Beth, and I’m glad you and Chris got up to the park!
Hi Michael-
Awesome photo. Love your blog site with the photos that you post.
And thanks to the other commenters for posting their photos. Texas is flat for the most part, and I do miss being at Yosemite and Yellowstone, and all of the photo opportunities that present themselves.
Thank you Bill. I know there are lots of great things to photograph in Texas, but some are probably less obvious than Yosemite.
Très belle photo, j’adore cette ambiance
Merci Vincent!
Beautiful combination of light and dramatic clouds around Half Dome! Thanks too for the redbud update. I hope to get up there soon to photograph them before they leaf out.
Thanks Wayne. The redbuds are progressing slowly right now. It seems that not all of them are on board with this early bloom.
Great image and post Michael! As always, I enjoy reading your blog.
I took a trip up on Sunday with my son and friends hoping to catch the forecasted weather. Sunday started with blue skies and very few clouds. By the end of the day the weather had finally showed up but, it was not as dramatic as expected, but still beautiful. The most notable event was seeing a bald eagle, actually two! This was the first one I had seen in the 10+ years coming to the park. Suffice to say, it was an exciting moment.
Here is a link to the image:
https://500px.com/photo/100637173/yosemite-eagle-by-anthony-michael-bonafede?from=user_library
Thanks Anthony – nice bald eagle photo! I saw a bald eagle in Yosemite Valley last winter, the first and only time I’ve seen one there. Are there more fish for some reason? Anyway, it’s nice to see them there.