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Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain

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Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain

Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Yosemite Falls and Valley meadow and forest in an autumn rain storm.

Another photograph from my rainy early-November weekend in Yosemite Valley. On Saturday the storm was coming in and as the day wore on the rain increased. As I photographed the nearly leafless trees in the meadows in sight of Yosemite Falls, the rain increased to the point that the Falls were almost completely obscured, although the rain also created a wonderful misty atmosphere and muted the fall colors.

A note about shooting in the rain… I foolishly removed my umbrella from my bag before I left on this trip. What was I thinking?! A good umbrella may be almost your most important piece of photographic equipment when shooting in conditions like these. Instead I ended up using an alternative set of strategies. (I did try to find an umbrella at the Yosemite Village store… but I couldn’t bring myself to buy a souvenir umbrella with big bear footprints all over it. :-) I have a nice Goretex rain hat that almost exactly covers my 5D and my lenses, so the main plan was to get everything set up and ready to shoot and then put the hat on top. While the tripod got wet the camera stayed reasonably dry – well, OK, not too wet. A little moisture on the outside of the camera body doesn’t concern me too much, though these conditions were such that I had to be pretty careful and use a towel on the camera and lens every time I returned to the car.

keywords: rain, storm, mist, fog, cloud, gray, yosemite, falls, valley, national park, tree, grove, forest, meadow, grass, fall, autumn, season, colors, red, gold, yellow, green, sierra, nevada, mountains, cliff, ridge, water, waterfall, travel, scenic, landscape, weather, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Merced River Fall Color, El Capitan Bridge

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Merced River Fall Color, El Capitan Bridge

Merced River Fall Color, El Capitan Bridge. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall color along the banks of the Merced River at the El Capitan Bridge, Yosemite Valley.

This is a second photograph that I made of this scene last weekend. (I posted the other one here a few days ago.) The first major winter storm of the season was just coming in, and it had already rained enough to cause the Merced River to begin to rise – which explains the debris floating on the surface in this photo.

I decided to work this scene with prime lenses rather than my zooms, so I made the previous photograph using the somewhat wider view of my 35mm lens and made this one using a 50mm prime. Frankly, I’m still going back and forth on which I like best. I like the way that this tighter crop fills the frame with the fall colors, but I like the composition of the wider view, too.

keywords: fall, autumn, color, foliage, leaves, gold, yellow, green, tree, oak, leaves, plants, nature, water, merced, river, bend, el capitan, meadow, bridge, mountain, cliff, face, reflection, yosemite, valley, national park, seaon, fog, cloud, california, usa, log, landscape, scenic, travel, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Color, Merced River

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Autumn Color, Merced River

Autumn Color, Merced River. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn trees along the Merced River near El Capitan Meadow Bridge – Yosemite Valley, California.

This photograph was made on the first day of a very rainy fall weekend in Yosemite Valley. I go to the Valley every fall at about this time to photograph the fall colors of oaks, maples, and meadows, but this year was different than some of my previous visits. First, it rained. A lot. It more or less rained the entire time I was there, though I’ll admit that there were a few brief intervals when it only sprinkled and even briefer moments when the rain actually stopped. Although this makes photography more difficult, it also creates many compelling photographic opportunities that just don’t appear on more pleasant (and boring) days. There was mist everywhere; among the trees on the Valley floor, and wrapping the cliffs and summits around the Valley. The fall colors became even more intense. And, most unusual, after a very dry season that left many of the waterfalls, creeks, and rivers low or completely dry, they suddenly came back to life. In this photograph the Merced River has already risen and picked up leaves and other material. (I came back to this spot the next day and the plants along the right river bank were underwater!)

(There is another version of this photograph with a tighter composition – I’m still thinking about which I prefer.)

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, el capitan, meadow, merced, river, oak, tree, forest, grove, reflection, fog, cliff, mountain, yellow, gold, green, log, water, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, california, usa, stock, bank, shore

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Tree and Cliff, Yosemite Valley

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Tree and Cliff, Yosemite Valley

Tree and Cliff, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lone tree growing against a cliff face in Yosemite Valley near the Ahwahnee Hotel.

I often walk along the north wall of the Valley between Yosemite Village and the Ahwahnee looking for interesting rocks, trees and plants, or seasonal waterfalls – especially in fall and spring. This time I had been shooting an oak tree against this section of the lower cliff when I spotted this less colorful tree nearby and, on a whim, decided to shoot a few frames. (The conditions were "interesting." It rained all weekend and was sprinkling as I made this photograph.)

keywords: tree, fir, cliff, rock, crack, root, rock, lichen, leaves, green, brown, trunk, rain, wet, ahwahnee, hotel, yosemite, valley, national park, scenic, landscape, nature, travel, fall, autumn, california, usa, stock