In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog

Special Ansel Adams Gallery Print Sale!

Sunbeams From Tunnel View, Spring, Yosemite National Park, California

Sunbeams From Tunnel View, Spring, Yosemite National Park, California


For the first time ever, The Ansel Adams Gallery is sponsoring a special print sale of two of my images at 25% off the normal price. These are two recent photographs that have never been printed before, and both are available in two sizes: 16×20 and 20×24. My signed, limited-edition 16×20 prints usually sell for $325, but during this sale you can get one for only $244! Or you can purchase a 20×24 print, normally $475, for only $356! The sale lasts for just six days, until Sunday, October 30th, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Visit the Ansel Adams Gallery web site to purchase or get more details.

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Yosemite Valley Fall Color

Dogwood near Valley View yesterday

Dogwood near Valley View yesterday


I taught a private workshop in Yosemite Valley yesterday, so that gave me a chance to check on the autumn progress. The big-leaf maples, which often provide the most vibrant fall color in the valley, are getting there; I’d say they’re about 60 percent turned. The best spots for maples right now are across the river from the junction of Highway 140 and the Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120), and along Southside Drive underneath Middle Cathedral Rock (and directly across the valley from El Capitan).

The dogwoods are also changing, though not as quickly as the maples. We saw some nice ones near Valley View, aka Gates of the Valley (Location 5 in both the book and app versions of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite), including the specimen at the top of this post. But there are still a lot of green dogwood leaves, so I’d say they’re about 30 percent turned. The dogwoods at higher elevations, along Highways 41 and 120, and in the Tuolumne Grove, usually turn earlier, so they should be looking good, but I haven’t been able to check them out.

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More Eastside Aspens

Aspen-covered hillside

Aspen-covered hillside


Conditions on the eastern side of the Sierra haven’t changed much since my post two days ago. In other words, the autumn color is still wonderful. I’ll just add that we got a closer look at Dunderberg Meadow, and it’s a bit past peak, but still beautiful. We also checked out Lee Vining Canyon today, and there’s plenty of color there, though some groves are still green. Around the June Lake Loop, the beautiful hillside between Grant and Silver lakes is about half green, but the aspens in the nearby valley floor have all turned, and some are even bare.

Aspens, willows, and an American coot

Aspens, willows, and an American coot



There should be plenty of color for at least the next week. Some aspens will lose their leaves, but the green ones will turn soon. I’ll be in Yosemite Valley tomorrow, and I’m anxious to see how much the color has changed. I’ll let you know what I find!

Here are a couple of images from the last few days. I’ll post more when I can.

—Michael Frye

Related posts: Autumn Has Finally Arrived in the Eastern SierraApp Update is Ready; Fall Color in Yosemite;

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to YosemiteYosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, plus the eBook Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom. He 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.


Autumn Has Finally Arrived in the Eastern Sierra

Cottonwoods with a dogwood understory, June Lake Loop

Cottonwoods with a dogwood understory, June Lake Loop


Sometimes it seems as if autumn will never come, but it always does. From all reports there wasn’t much color on the eastern side of the Sierra a week ago, but things have changed, and the aspens are just beautiful right now. Most of the usual spots near Lee Vining have great color, including the June Lake Loop, Parker Bench, Lundy Canyon, Conway Summit, the road to Virginia Lakes, Dunderberg Meadow, Green Creek, and Summers Meadows.

We had a wonderful day photographing all that color. Autumn in this area is just magical. Here’s one photo from the June Lake Loop this morning, and I’ll post more when I get a chance to process them.

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App Update is Ready; Fall Color in Yosemite

Reeds and reflected trees at Siesta Lake, Yosemite

Reeds and reflected trees at Siesta Lake, Yosemite


Good news! Apple approved the update for The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite iPhone app today, so it now works with iOS 5.0 (or any version from 3.1 on). I’m glad that Apple approved the update so quickly; sorry again about the inconvenience.

Meanwhile, autumn has finally begun in Yosemite. Fall color was nearly non-existent a week ago, but every day more leaves are turning. Yosemite Valley is not close to peak color yet, but things are changing quickly, and I think we’ll see some great color within a week. In fact some of the maples are already completely yellow.

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