by Michael Frye | Jun 4, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Mammoth Peak from near Tioga Pass
Tioga Pass is scheduled to open tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. When it does, there should be lots of snow at higher elevations, creating some great opportunities to photograph snowy peaks and icy lakes.
The Glacier Point Road opened last Saturday, providing access to some of Yosemite’s best views, and the some of the prettiest meadows in Yosemite, like Summit, McGurk, and Westfall. These meadows should be sprouting corn lilies, which I wrote about on my other blog.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Yosemite Valley. They’re expecting the Merced River to crest above flood stage on Sunday and Monday mornings, and possibly Tuesday as well. This minor flooding shouldn’t impact travel, but means that the waterfalls will be roaring, and meadows will be partially flooded, creating nice reflecting ponds everywhere.
You can still find dogwoods blooming in Yosemite Valley, although they’re rather ragged. Although I haven’t had a chance to check them, the dogwoods at higher elevations should still be in good shape. My favorite place to photograph dogwoods outside the valley is in the Tuolumne Grove, where you can find them blooming next to giant sequoias.
Speaking of the high country, a space has opened up in my Hidden Yosemite workshop in July. This has always been a really fun class, featuring short hikes to some of the best locations near Tenaya Lake, Tioga Pass, Tuolumne Meadows. Click here for more information.
Melting Ice near Middle Gaylor Lake
by Michael Frye | May 24, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Lunar rainbow from the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
It’s lunar rainbow time again in Yosemite: the moon will become full again this Thursday, and with clear skies we’d be able to see, and photograph, lunar rainbows on Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. But the unusually wet spring continues, and the forecast calls for rain and higher elevation snow Wednesday and Thursday, and possibly Friday as well. If the skies clear unexpectedly, you can find precise information about where and when to photographer lunar rainbows on Don Olson’s web site, and some tips for photographing lunar rainbows in one of my previous blog posts. I also wrote about some of my experiences photographing lunar rainbows on my 25 Years in Yosemite blog.
by Michael Frye | May 7, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Dogwood branches hanging over the Merced River
Just a quick update between workshops sessions….
The dogwoods are emerging rapidly. When I arrived in Yosemite Valley on Tuesday perhaps half of them were in full bloom, while the other half were still in their green stage. Now I’d say 70 percent have white petals. The next week or so will be the best time to photograph them, before the leaves grow out and hide the blossoms.
by Michael Frye | Apr 28, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
New green leaves are just starting to appear on the deciduous trees in Yosemite Valley, and by this weekend there should be a lot of fresh green color everywhere. Most of the dogwoods have sprouted the little green discs that are precursors to the full while blossoms. If the weather had stayed warm I would have said that this weekend would be good for dogwood photography, but the cooler, wetter pattern that’s set in this week may slow that down, and most dogwoods probably won’t be in full bloom until sometime next week or the following weekend (May 8th and 9th).
Warm sunshine this past weekend pushed the water level in the falls and Merced River way up. The flat rock that I referred to on my other blog was almost completely submerged on Monday morning, and the “kick” at the top of Upper Yosemite Falls was mostly buried. But again the current cooler weather pattern will cause the waters to recede a bit until the next warm spell.
by Michael Frye | Apr 16, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Redbud and oaks, spring 2007
The redbud in the Merced River Canyon are a bit past peak, with many starting to leaf out, but at least half are still in prime condition, so good photographs of them can still be made for at least the next few days. Meanwhile in Yosemite Valley the deciduous trees have buds but no new leaves. The April snowstorms have delayed the appearance of the vivid green leaves of the cottonwoods, alders, maples, and oaks. I expect we might see that green around the end of the month. The dogwoods will probably also be late; while they typically start blooming around the end of April, they might blossom a week or two later this year.
by Michael Frye | Apr 6, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Redbud and rapids along the Merced River, April 5th, 2010
Just a quick note to let you know that the redbud in the Merced River Canyon west of Yosemite are at about peak right now. A few have begun to leaf out, but most are prime. I expect they will remain in good condition for the next week or so, but after that will start fading quickly.
