Group of tourists at the base of Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley, California.
I’m not going to give away all the reasons, but this is – perhaps surprisingly – one of my favorite photographs of the past few months. The reasons include those related to form, the subjects, and the place.
keywords: california, national park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, bridalveil, fall, base, trail, viewpoint, mist, spray, rocks, water, waterfall, river, creek, cascade, tree, bush, black and white, stock, travel, scenic, landscape
Two hikers enjoy the panoramic view from Sentinel Dome above Yosemite Valley – Yosemite National Park
On this early season day back on 2008 I drove up the road to Glacier Point, stopping alone the way to make the short lateral hike out to the summit of Sentinel Dome. Sentinel is a classic viewpoint in Yosemite, and was made even more famous by the well-known iconic “Jeffrey Pine” photograph by Ansel Adams, featuring a lone, rugged, wind-bent tree that grew for years on that summit, backed by distant peaks of the high Sierra. (That tree died years ago, though its stump remains and is still picturesque… and a reminder that time passes. Another reminder for me — when I was a child my family visited this dome and that tree while it was still living.)
On this visit I took the newer trail that replaced the old (and environmentally insensitive) trail from a parking lot on the lower reaches of the dome, and arrived on the summit to reacquaint myself with the spot after a long absence. As I photographed on the summit, this young couple hiked to the top and settled in on this rock to take in the spectacular view into the canyon below.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more. Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email
In mid-May made a quick one-day run up to Yosemite and back to get reacquainted with the waterfalls – at that time in full spring flow – and see the Valley coming back to life again after winter. In the evening I found myself at Glacier Point watching another stunning Sierra Crest sunset. This photograph was made as the very last light touched the top of Mt. Clark.
keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, merced, river, mount, mt. clark, sierra, nevada, mountain, crest, ridge, peak, fall, waterfall, evening, sunset, twilight, alpenglow, tree, forest, dome, granite, mist, trail, snow, glacier point, view, scenic, travel, landscape, california, usa, stock
I’m always looking for different views of the famous – and quite obvious – subjects in The Valley such as Yosemite Falls. Here I was intrigued by the shapes of leafless winter trees with snow in the foreground and the falls and cliffs in the background.
Normally, one would probably regard this as a poorly lit photo of the falls. However, at least in my view, the effect is to treat the typically-central waterfall as part of the background and instead draw attention to the forms of the trees, whose shapes echo the curves of the cliffs and the shadow line across the falls.
keywords: California, Landscape, National Park, Place, Travel, Valley, Winter, Yosemite, valley, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, snow, meadow, merced, river, trees, bare, tracks, footprints, cliff, mountains, rocks, fall, falls, blue sky, lost arrow, ice, sun, light, stock
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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