Tag Archives: valley

Three Umbrellas, Yosemite Valley View

Three Umbrellas, Yosemite Valley View

Three Umbrellas, Yosemite Valley View. Yosemite Valley, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Visitors with red and green umbrellas on a rainy day at Yosemite Valley View.

It was late in the day and I decided to take a quick run up to Wawona Tunnel Valley View. Although it was cold and wet and a bit dismal, there was no shortage of photographers… and even a few other visitors. Since I’ve shot this scene many times, I’m a bit jaded I suppose – I don’t photograph it unless it is really quite special. This evening wasn’t quite up to that standard, but the scene of these umbrella bearing valley viewers caught my attention.

“Jaded’ as I may be, I do understand the deep attraction that this place and this view have for visitors. Since I get to stand in this spot often, I have the opportunity to see and sometimes talk with people who have dreamed of standing in front of this view, who are there for the first time, and who have travelled great distances to get there. As someone I spoke with this weekend did, they often use words like “spiritual”to describe the experience. I understand, and I think the fact that people will stand here in freezing rain on a day when most of the view is blocked by clouds is further evidence of this.

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Gates of the Valley

Gates of the Valley

Gates of the Valley. Yosemite Valley, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Gates of the Valley and the Merced River, Autumn – Yosemite Valley, California.

I made my annual fall color pilgrimage to Yosemite Valley this past weekend and since I had a few extra minutes while going from point A to point B I decided to stop at this over-photographed location and try a long exposure using a 9-stop neutral density filter, thus the effect you see on the surface of the Merced River in the foreground.

The trip was not quite what I anticipated. The fall colors were quite good, with lots of bright yellow maples, my favorite yellow and brown oaks, golden meadow grasses, and more.
But it rained. A lot.

It started almost as soon as I arrived on Saturday morning, got worse as the day wore on, poured overnight, and rained off and on most of the day on Sunday. Even this shot in seemingly clearing weather was taken as a light mist fell.

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Half Dome, Sunset – Olmsted Point

Half Dome, Sunset - Olmsted Point

Half Dome, Sunset – Olmsted Point. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunset light on Half Dome as viewed from Olmsted Point along the Tioga Pass Road.

Sometimes I can’t help myself and I have to stop for this classic view when driving back from the Sierra via Tioga Pass Road. I drive past this spot at least a dozen times each season, so I’ve perhaps become a bit jaded – and I’ll only stop when the light seems extra special.

Here the very late light is illuminating Half Dome while the lower canyons have fallen into deep shadows on this late summer evening.

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Corral, McGee Canyon

Corral, McGee Canyon

Corral, McGee Canyon. Sierra Nevada, California. October 5, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Stock corral in afternoon autumn light, McGee Canyon, Sierra Nevada.

After shooting for two days in the Bishop Creek area I headed down to Bishop for coffee and an internet connection, after which I began my long drive back to the Bay Area. Between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes I took the short lateral road up into McGee Canyon. After stopping at the road end I started back down, stopping along the road just below the stock corral to make this photograph of the fall colors in the canyon and the high peaks with a dusting of autumn snowfall beyond.

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