by Michael Frye | Oct 2, 2016 | Digital Darkroom, Yosemite Photo Conditions
Sunset clouds over North Lake, autumn, Inyo NF, CA, USA
Claudia and I are back home, but we had fun photographing on the east side last week. Every day we saw more color in Bishop Creek Canyon, and the high-elevation aspens were looking great when we left yesterday.
I made this photograph Friday evening. We had been photographing intimate scenes along the south fork of Bishop Creek for a couple of hours, but there were some clouds hugging the crest of the mountains, so I headed to North Lake where I could get a wider view if the clouds turned color at sunset.
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by Michael Frye | Sep 28, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Aspens, reeds, and reflections, Bishop Creek Canyon, Inyo NF, CA, USA
Claudia and I are over on the eastern side of the Sierra checking out the early fall color. The high-elevation aspens typically start turning over here in late September, and they’re right on schedule, or maybe even a little early compared to some years. We drove up Bishop Creek Canyon yesterday, and found lots of color near the 9,000-foot level around Lake Sabrina and North Lake. I’d say these areas are near peak already, with a few bare trees, and some green, but probably 70 to 80 percent of the aspens turning.
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by Michael Frye | May 22, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening
Tenaya Lake was totally free of ice, while Tioga Lake was almost completely frozen. Ellery Lake just right, with a photogenic mixture of ice and open water. But I’m sure that will all melt soon, while Tioga Lake should be getting more open patches of water.
Meanwhile, the park did get some showers on Friday and Saturday, with a dusting of high-elevation snow. The Tioga Road has been closed off and on since Friday night, though as I write this it’s open. With showers in the forecast over the next few days it’s possible that the road may close again temporarily.
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by Michael Frye | May 18, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Mammoth Peak reflected in snowmelt pond, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite, from 1993
— Michael Frye
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by Michael Frye | May 11, 2016 | Advanced Techniques, Digital Darkroom, Yosemite Photo Conditions
Spring sunrise, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite, Sunday morning
First, to my subscribers, thanks for your understanding about the email glitches yesterday. I really appreciate all the supportive emails so many people sent. Your kind words turned a frustrating day into a great one.
I haven’t posted anything new on the blog for awhile because I was teaching a workshop, and then working on our new website. The new site is still a bit of a work in progress, so if you find any broken links or other issues please let me know. But the new site better integrates the blog with the other content, makes it easier to add and update portfolios, and will work much better with phones and tablets, so I hope it will be a better experience for everyone.
Meanwhile we had a great workshop, with flowing waterfalls, fresh spring greenery, dogwoods, and some interesting weather and clouds. And the cool, showery spring weather has continued, which I love. I’m not ready for the summer heat, and always happy to have clouds and mist to photograph.
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by Michael Frye | Apr 24, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Morning reflections, dogwood and the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
We had a nice spring storm on Friday. Here in Mariposa we heard some loud thunder, and experienced a torrential downpour for about ten minutes. We got about half and inch of rain altogether, but Yosemite Valley got an inch and a third, which is a big total for April. Snow fell on the rim of the valley, and the Glacier Point Road, which had opened on Tuesday, was closed again temporarily.
The storm cleared after sunset on Friday, and Claudia and I drove up to Yosemite Valley early on Saturday morning, hoping for mist. There wasn’t much mist, but we found some dogwoods in a small patch of fog near the base of Middle Cathedral Rock, which kept me busy for awhile. Later, as the sun started to reach down into the valley, I photographed more dogwoods against the background of the Merced River, with golden reflections in the water.
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