Tag Archives: light

Sierra Meadow and Peak

Sierra Meadow and Peak
“Sierra Meadow and Peak” — Early light strikes a Sierra Nevada crest peak above a shadowed subalpine valley.

I was up and out of camp in the dark on this late-August morning. My plan was to work my way up Tioga Pass Road toward the pass, where I had a few subjects in mind along the way. After that I would head over the pass and out of the park to explore some areas just east of the Sierra crest. After going to the end of this valley to make a few photographs of alpine terrain, I headed back down this way, to pausing at a few places I had noted on the way up.

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Morning Trees, Shadows

Morning Trees, Shadows
“Morning Trees, Shadows” Trees in morning light as mountain shadows recede across a meadow.

I made this photograph on the final morning of my late-August visit to the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite. Since I had until noon to vacate my campsite, I figured I would do some early morning photography before breaking camp. I had a particular sunrise photograph in mind, and after completing that I looked around with no particular agenda and decided to head up to the meadows around Tioga Pass.

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Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds

Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds
“Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds” — Mono Lake tufa towers silhouetted against morning sky and distant mountains.

With this post, I am doing something unusual for me — I’m sharing monochrome and color versions of the same photograph. By that I mean literally the same file, though interpreted differently. (The monochrome version was posted here recently.) Usually I settle on either color or monochrome, but in this case I feel like both have something (different) to offer.

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Tuolumne River, Dusk

Tuolumne River, Dusk
“Tuolumne River, Dusk” — Dusk light on the Tuolumne River and Meadow, Lembert Dome, and the Sierra crest.

Photographing in the morning and evening twilight can be a bit of a crapshoot. The light can be soft yet intensely colorful… or it can simply fade away to gray. Familiarity with the patterns of clouds and light can improve the odds, but you still have to head out there and take advantage of whatever happens. That was my plan on this late-August evening when thin clouds stretched across the sky, presenting the possibility of colorful light.

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