Mirror Lake - Yosemite

Another Hurricane...

Looks like another hurricane is heading into the Caribbean. And another is forming in the mid-Atlantic. Harvey was a disaster for Houston and now it looks like this next storm will trash much of the islands from the Virgins all the way to Cuba before setting its sights on Florida. The disaster budget for FEMA is already deeply in the hole and our do-nothing congress doesn't seem to have the ability to forget the politics and just help. Worthless bunch of c@#p as far as I'm concerned. But, we get exactly what we deserve and these clowns are just about perfect. So much self-interest in the world right now. My heart goes out for all those who are about to confront this massive storm and the ones that come afterwards. It's going to be a horrible season this year.

Mirror Lake - Yosemite

I was in Yosemite for 3 nights and really didn't get very much done. Because it was mid-April much of the park was still closed off and I was confined to the valley for the most part. Did hike up to Mirror Lake which was certainly an interesting experience. It was very near my camp so I was able to leave the truck there and make the trip by foot. The bad winter in California had washed out route 120 so driving into the park had taken me into the mountains and on some really challenging roads. Probably a good thing for me as many visitors had not been able to make the trip and there were lots of campsites open for the taking. Anyway, instead of a large stock of images I got less than 200 for 3 days. That's simply because much of what I wanted to see was still closed. Oh well, maybe next year I can get back and do more. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, I hiked up to Mirror Lake which is at the base of Half Dome. It was before noon when I got there and the wind hadn't yet picked up so the lake's surface was fairly still. In some places I had to get out my 10 stop ND filter to get long exposures to smooth out the ripples but in this spot I was able to just shoot normally. If you look closely at the sky there is all sorts of debris flying around plus many birds aloft so there is plenty to see there. Also the lake was fairly dirty and you can see lots of junk in the water. The trees were just starting to throw leaves giving them a very yellowish golden color which contrasts nicely with the blue sky. All in all a very nice image. This is a blend of 2 images, run through Photomatix and finished in Lightroom. Very pleasant for the most part.

Mirror Lake - 35mm,f/18,HDR,I|SO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Half Dome from a different angle

Oroville...

I'm watching the disaster in northern California with great interest this week. I plan to be on the northern California coast sometime in early April so the impact of this flooding on my plans may be major. If the place is stable I may divert to the dam and see if there are any interesting images.

I did want to inject my take on what is happening. California has always had swings in the climate but nothing like this. 5 years of extreme drought followed by biblical rains is not how things are supposed to be. I know many of you don't believe in global warming but this is what one can expect as the atmosphere warms up. Warmer air means more moisture and water is the engine driving the climate and weather. More water means more damaging and extreme events and Oroville is just the tip of a huge problem. How can humanity plan for even more extremes? I don't know. This dam is already huge (the largest in North America) and yet it is being overwhelmed by so much rain. The only way to cope with this is to open the flood gates and then deal with all the damage downstream. I don't know how they deal with this as the rain isn't finished yet and there's almost historic levels of snow in the mountains which has to melt in the spring. They'll be lucky to save the dam and the damage just to the spillways is going to cost a lot of money to fix. And this is just one of many dams in the West. I'll be interested to see how the Colorado River is doing and how the big dams there are handling the water. Should be an interesting spring for sure.

Half Dome from a different angle

If you head south out of Yosemite on the El Portal Road (RT. 140), there's an overlook that provides stunning views of the Foresta Valley and Half Dome in the distance. I was fortunate to be on that road at dusk and to have the opportunity to get some amazing sunset shots. My visit last year came during a stormy period and I had several days of low clouds and rain ... my favorite type of weather for getting really dramatic shots. I had both cameras going, taking both wide angle images of the valley and telephoto shots of the dome shrouded in clouds. This image was captured just as the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the dome which was skirted by a beautiful layer of clouds. An amazing shot for sure.

Half Dome - 200mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley

Russian Drinking...

I talked about Russian drinking in my last post and just wanted to touch on a ancillary issue that's become a big story in the press here. Last week 48 people died from drinking methanol laced solutions ... all in one town. Turns out the cost of legit (really not legit but at least drinkable) alcohol has gone through the roof lately, mostly due to increases in taxes. The state is trying, laughably, to cut down on the huge issue of alcoholism in this part of the world. Of course, the ever resourceful Russians just move to other 'alcohol' based solutions, some of which are deadly. This latest incident involved bottles of 'skin tonic' which was basically all alcohol. 93% according to the label. In the past the alcohol was ethanol but, for some reason (probably because methanol is cheaper), the maker made a substitution to the toxic alcohol. There were warnings on the label but no one here pays any attention to the warnings. They all 'know' that the contents are safe. For a significantly reduced price people are able to get plastered. But this time it was very fatal. The government is making all the usual huffing noises about regulations and whatnot but the fact is there isn't much they can do. The people who make these elixirs will just move on to some other delivery vehicle. It was reported that people were actually buying 'legit' bottles of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels which were bootleg and made with methanol. Imagine paying a huge price for a bottle of Jack only to have it kill you. That's how bad it's become. Some reports say up to 70% of all the liquor sold in Russia is bootleg and a lot of it is very dangerous. No wonder people load up with alcohol at the duty free shops before heading home. It's just common sense in this place.

Yosemite Valley

If you take the road to Glacier Point, the first stop is Tunnel View, just before you enter the long tunnel heading west. There's a grand view of the valley and the overlook is always crowded with photographers doing their thing. I really was happy this day because the sky was loaded with low storm clouds and the valley was aglow in the most beautiful diffuse light. The clouds were just below the mountain peaks so there was some added mystery to be experienced. I spent several hours at the lookout, taking a huge batch of images. I know I won't use most of them but pictures are cheap these days and I want to have a large selection to choose from.

In this image, I'm looking to the east as the sun gets low in the sky behind me. The bright glow mid-image is the sun hitting some high clouds and reflecting back. To the left, the large granite monolith is El Capitaan while to the right is Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Falls. One thing to notice is the large number of dead pine trees. I heard an estimate that up to 100 million pines are dead in the High Sierras due to the 5 year drought and the number is growing at a frightening pace. Not only are they unsightly but there is a real fire hazard from all the dead wood. Really hope they get some relief this winter or things could get real dicey come summer.

This is a 5 image sequence minimally processed through Photomatix and then finished in Lightroom. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I take back an earlier comment about how Yosemite was better seen as B&W. This is really an amazing image and I wouldn't change a thing.

Yosemite Valley - 35mm, f/6.3,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley Mystery

The Holidays Cometh...

Living in Russia we don't really celebrate Christmas ... New Years is the big draw in this part of the world. Lots of parties (and drinking) and fireworks (legal up to the biggest bombs you can find) and did I say drinking? Alcoholism is a big problem in this place and almost impossible to address. Kids start drinking at a very early age (especially boys) and it continues throughout their lives. In the summer it's non-stop, especially in the play area outside our building where the teenagers get together every night and drink until 3-4 am. The ground is always littered with discarded beer and vodka bottles. Of course, by the time these kids leave school they are already well on the way to being alcoholics. It's a huge issue but no one has the guts to address it.

On the other hand we don't have the feeding frenzy of buying tons of worthless crap to give to everyone. They do give gifts but most are small and inexpensive. It's the thought that counts, not the size. After years of battling my first wife's family over the obscene level of giving it's really nice to not think about this mess.

Yosemite Valley Mystery

I was in Yosemite early this cycle (end of April) so there were still storms in the area. One morning I spent time in Cook's Meadow near the visitor's center and was fortunate to have low clouds sweeping across the surrounding peaks. I really love how the clouds seems to cradle the rock and isolate it from the rest of the mountain. I was fortunate this trip to have many such encounters with clouds and they completely changed the feel of my images. Very dramatic effects are possible when clouds make an appearance.

This is a 5 image sequence, run through Photomatix and finished in Lightroom. There ss a bit of cropping to really center the image on the vertical rock face but nothing major. I just love these photos ... they give me a great thrill. Hope you feel the same way.

Yosemite Valley - 116mm(1.6 crop),f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point

Some Ideas for Cycle #2

I'm in the planning stage for cycle #2 which starts, unofficially, around the end of January. I'm intending to spend all of February in and around LA, shooting timelapse and video for my project and taking pictures for my portfolio. I expect lots of rain as El Nino is building to a historic level so plan to see lots of wet views and images. Hopefully I won't get too sick while there but who knows. I'm also looking at visiting as many parks in CA as I can, depending on the snow load and how well they are kept open. I'll then spend some time in AZ/UT, visiting places I went during cycle #2, including Zion, Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Canyon and maybe a few more. Depends on how much snow they have and how much time I have. I'm considering applying for a permit to hike into "the wave" which is something I really want to do given time and a favorable outcome of my application. I'll finish up with a few locations in NM. Expect to return around the end of April although that could adjust depending on how much I still want to do and how much energy I have. I'm hoping I can take upwards of 3-4 terabytes of data which should keep me busy for the rest of the year. It should be an exciting trip.

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point

One afternoon, about the middle of my stay in Yosemite, I took the long drive up to Glacier Point. From this overlook one can see the entire valley and the view is spectacular. Most of the park is visible from this high vantage point and there is so much to see. Of course, you can see half dome and the waterfall but you also see the high Sierra mountains. The view really does take your breath away.

I took this as the sun slid below the horizon and only half dome and the high mountains are still illuminated. Yosemite village is in the valley below, to the left of the picture. At the center bottom you can just see the parking lot for one of the hotels. Yosemite Valley is straight ahead, to the left of half dome. This is a glacial valley, it's sides polished smooth by the massive glaciers from the last ice age as they slowly slid down the valley and then melted. It has the classic "U" shape although the bottom has been filled in over the years with wash and landslides so the valley is flat but scientific studies (using oil exploration rigs) found the rounded bottom a glacial polished valley must have. This is an HDR panorama shot from the extreme corner of the overlook facing to the northeast.

As I pointed out in a previous entry, it's difficult to get really stunning color photos in Yosemite because the granite is all gray. Compare this with my pictures from Zion or Bryce and you see what I mean. The iron rich sandstone from the Great Basin gives the whole area a very warm and inviting hue that is lacking in Yosemite. Only the amazing rock formations and the high mountains make Yosemite really special. And it's close proximity to LA and SF guarantees a steady stream of visitors.

For comparison, I've included both a color and B&W image. You can see why so many iconic images from Yosemite are done without color. By removing all color you're forced to see the amazing shapes and contours that define the valley. Maybe I should leave this image B&W. What do you think?

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point(B&W) - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite's Half Dome

Shootings...

I find it very hard to comment on the state of my country. So much violence for a country that is, theoretically, not at war (except in half the world where we're fighting terror but what the hell). Finally we get another terror act in America ... one I've been expecting for quite some time ... and no one seems inclined to do anything about it. Let me say, bluntly, that it's stupid to sell assault rifles, which are designed for only one thing (killing people), and ammunition to anyone. Even the cops don't really need them except as an equalizer against all the crazies who are armored up to the hilt. And all this right-wing crap about protection from the government is just that ... crap. A clown with a gun isn't going to frighten a soldier who's faced hardened fighters in the middle east. Have you seen most of these idiots? Rejects from society and most are so out of shape that they'd probably have a heart attack if they every actually faced off against someone with a gun and it's pointed at their fat head. Let me repeat ... we don't need these guns. For 200+ years we've managed to survive quite nicely with just our standard rifle and shot gun. All this fire power didn't stop a couple (one a woman no less) from shooting up this holiday party in California. It was the cops who finished them off, not civilians. But the carnage was much worse because both of them had semi-automatic assault rifles and lots of high powered ammo. Consider how different it would have been had they been limited to more conventional arms. And maybe, instead of being shot up by all that police armor, maybe they would have been captured alive and could have helped us understand why they did it. But no, they are very dead and we can only assume they were terrorists because they were Muslim. All so worthless and a waste of precious human life. Don't you think it's time to try something else ... really?

Yosemite's Half Dome

Yosemite is, surprisingly, a hard place to photograph. It's beautiful, even breathtaking, but unlike places on the Grand Cascade, rock formations are a unappetizing gray color. That's why, I think, so many pictures of Yosemite are black and white. I took a ton of images while I was there and most of them are OK but few actually got my blood pumping. They are universally bland and only the sky made an impact. I'll put more on this blog as I can but they're not my best works. Also, it was near the end of my trip and my camera was extremely dirty. There were dust particles all over my sensor so my pictures look like they have chicken pox. When I combine multiple panels together for a panorama it takes a lot of work to remove all the smudges and blotches caused by this dirt and, quite frankly, the results are not inspiring. Even my HDR images came out muddy and not all that wonderful. That's why you've not seen any images from Yosemite so far. I keep looking at them and putting off adding them here because they embarrass me.

But, a few days ago I was going through images from Yosemite and came across this one. I was on Glacier Point looking northeast. I took it before the sun touched the horizon so the sky is already turning a wonderful blue but the sun hasn't yet gone to the "golden hour" reds and yellows. The entire image is very 'cool' and has a nice feel about it. One interesting point about this image ... if you look just to the right of the dome you'll see a brown 'streak' in the trees trailing off to the picture's edge. That's dead trees burned by the big forest fire they had 2 summers ago. That's how close the inferno came to half dome. This is an HDR sequence (2 shots) run through Photomatix and Lightroom.

It is really a wonderful place to visit ... but so damn crowded. Impossible to find a parking place or a camp site. I stayed at a forest service campsite 10 miles outside the park and had a 35 mile drive each way every day. Lots of gas wasted going back and forth.

Yosemite's Half Dome - 28mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0