In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog

Rim Fire Update

by | Aug 23, 2013 | Yosemite Photo Conditions

Looking west at the Rim Fire from near the Tioga Pass Rd. at dusk, with Venus setting, 8:57 p.m., 8/22/13, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Looking west at the Rim Fire from near the Tioga Pass Rd. at dusk, with Venus setting, 8:57 p.m., 8/22/13, Yosemite NP, CA, USA


Last night my wife Claudia and I made an epic bushwhack to a dome near the Tioga Pass Road with a view of the Rim Fire. This is a two-image stitched panorama, looking west toward the Central Valley, with Venus setting on the left. Each frame was 30 seconds long.

This fire is growing at an alarming rate. It doubled in size yesterday, and as of this morning it was listed as over 105,000 acres. That already makes it the 19th-largest fire in California history. The Rim Fire crossed the western boundary of Yosemite National Park yesterday between Camp Mather and Eleanor Lake.

So far most of Yosemite hasn’t been affected. The smoke has been blowing north, away from the park. The biggest affect is the closure of Highway 120 outside the park, but there are alternate routes.

Let’s hope that growth slows down!

— Michael Frye

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Adapting to Fire

by | Aug 22, 2013 | Yosemite Photo Conditions

The Rim Fire at dusk, 8/21/13, from a viewpoint near Mariposa

The Rim Fire at dusk, 8/21/13, from a viewpoint near Mariposa


Wildfires are common around here in summer and fall. Fire means smoke, and photographers visiting Yosemite during a fire sometimes complain about the smoke. I’ve learned to roll with it. When smoke spoils my plans, I make a new plan. That attitude actually applies to any photographic situation. I can’t control the weather, so I adapt to whatever conditions I find.

On Tuesday afternoon the clouds over the Sierra were spectacular, so Claudia and I headed up the Tioga Road to try to catch some of those clouds lighting up at sunset. As we approached Siesta Lake, however, we became immersed in smoke from the Rim Fire, and realized that the smoke would block the sunset light. So I went to Plan B, my standard plan in these situations, which is to photograph the fire itself.

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