The plan was a Yosemite weekend photographing along Tioga Pass Road and at Glacier Point prior to them being closed for the winter. On Friday afternoon (Halloween Eve) I departed for the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp near the Yosemite South Gate. By the time I arrived Friday evening the rain had started and I began to think that any photography was destined to be an adventure in staying dry.
On Saturday morning, when I entered Yosemite via the South Gate I discovered that, because of snow, Tioga Pass Road had just been closed for the season. Plan B was to follow Wawona Road to Chinquapin and follow Glacier Point Road to the overlook. Half way between the Wawona Pioneer Yosemite History Center and Chinquapin I stopped at a vista point overlooking the Merced Valley. The rain had decreased in intensity and there was fog throughout the scene. After setting up the camera and tripod I captured a number of images. Note that every image captured, on both Saturday and Sunday, was with the Canon 5D and 24-105 mm f/4 lens. The camera was fitted with a Really Right Stuff L bracket which was tripod mounted through a panning clamp and nodal slide. All shots were captured with a cable shutter release. This setup allowed me to quickly level the camera, expose for the time required to capture the image and, as desired, rotate for panorama shots.
I primarily use this setup to make sure the camera is level for panorama shots. The adjustable slide rail enables finding the nodal point for any camera and lens combination. Locating the nodal point allows shooting a panorama with features in the foreground. For example, if you want a panorama of a historic structure with a fountain that is close to the camera, setting the nodal point will keep the fountain sharp relative to the historic building in the background. Really Right Stuff in their website and catalog provide great explanations for using this equipment and many other setups that they provide. They are also close (San Luis Obispo) so a call to their offices will result in receiving equipment the next day. You can also call and request their catalog.
Departing the Merced Valley Vista point, I continued on to Chinquapin encountering intermittent rain and fog which was to be the weather for the balance of the day. At Glacier Point the rain was steady so the challenge was to keep both myself and the camera dry. Glacier Point was made famous by Ansel Adams who captured a number of memorable images from this location. Don, a photographer from Sunnyvale, with his hat, beard and rain protected camera and tripod struck me as a modern day version of Ansel Adams. I converted his picture in black and white to maintain the timeliness of the image. Given the changes in technologies since Ansel Adams days I suspect that he would have embraced digital photography and color images in much the same way he adapted to changes in film photography. At a minimum, his load would have been lighter.
I captured a large number of images from the area around and in the Glacier Point vista point overlooking Yosemite Valley. During this period the rain continued unabated and I got progressively wetter. Any view of the valley was primarily impacted by the fog and clouds accompanying the rain. Several images include half dome encased in clouds and Nevada and Vernal Falls and the Merced River.
Departing Glacier Point I returned to Chinquapin with the car heater turned high to dry both the camera and me. At Chinquapin I turned right on Wawona Road towards the Valley. The Tunnel View is the first stop for many visitors to Yosemite Valley and also a spot made famous by Ansel Adams for the panorama view encompassing El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall. The Tunnel View is always crowded with camera toting tourists and more serious photographers. Arguably, the Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View is the most photographed scene in the world. This begs the question “are there identical pictures captured from this spot?” My answer is no, given that to be identical the two images would have to be captured by the same camera, from the same spot, at the same time with identical camera settings. That being said, there are a large number of very similar photographs captured from this vista point every day.
My pictures from Tunnel View were unusual because the damp cold rain kept the crowd to a minimum, fog was still hanging in the valley and the overnight rain caused an increase in the flow of Bridalveil Fall.
Continuing into the Valley on Southside Drive the next view point is Bridalveil Fall. In my opinion, the best pictures of the fall are captured from the parking lot. The short walk to the fall gets increasingly damp, particularly when it is raining, and keeping the camera dry enough to catch a good picture of the fall is very difficult if not impossible. However, pictures of the Bridalveil Creek flowing from the fall will turn out nicely with both a slow and fast shutter speed.
Continuing from Bridalveil Fall on the Valley Southside Drive will parallel the Merced River for a short distance. Pulling off to the left will allow shots of the river similar to Picture F. From there, it is a short drive to the Swinging Bridge which offers views of upper Yosemite Fall mirrored in the waters of Merced River. In the winter, after a snowfall, this spot offers a unique vantage point for capturing snow filled vistas.
At this point on Saturday I continued to Sentinel Bridge however Sentinel Point was not visible from the bridge due to cloud cover. I caught a couple of pictures of upper and middle Yosemite Fall before continuing to Valley View (roadside vista point near the valley exit) on Northside Drive. From this vista point El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls were visible however Half Dome was not visible due to the clouds and fog that hung in the valley. Ignoring the rain and accompanying chill I set up for a panorama with the Merced River in the foreground, El Capitan on the left and the Bridalveil Falls area on the right.
At this point, wet, cold and with failing light I started back to Tenaya Lodge for warm, dry clothing and a glass of wine.
On Sunday morning I returned to the park to learn that Glacier Point was closed during the night, again due to snow. So, a return trip to the valley became Plan C.
In the valley I followed the same path along Southside Drive following past Curry Village and through the campground and found parking at the riding stables. From the riding stables, it is a mile and half hike along Tenaya Creek to Mirror Lake. The view from Mirror Lake is always good for reflections of both the surrounding trees and surrounding peaks. On this day, the best views were of the saturated colors of trees and rocks in and around Mirror Lake. Another photography opportunity is along Tenaya Creek with the water, rocks and colorful foliage.
Leaving the riding stables parking lot, I crossed from Southside Drive to Northside Drive at Stoneman Bridge. This took me to Yosemite Village and the access road to the Ahwahnee Lodge. This is a wonderful spot for a snack, glass of wine and visit to the gift shop with its unique mementos of Yosemite Valley. Leaving the Ahwahnee on the road back to Yosemite Village is a meadow area with sweeping views of the meadow, far away peaks and the opportunity for another panorama image.
Continuing on Northside Drive there are photography opportunities at El Capitan Meadow. These include El Capitan, which was shrouded in fog, and upper and middle Yosemite Fall. Continuing on, there is a vista point on the left which looks across the Merced River to Bridalveil Fall. From here it is back to the Valley View vista point and more panorama shots of the valley. By this time on Sunday, the rain had ceased and the sun shone through the clouds on an intermittent basis.
Dry and satisfied with the opportunities that I had to capture a number of promising images I returned to the Tenaya for supper and a relaxing evening contemplating the week ahead. It has often been noted that photographing Yosemite during and after a storm yields some of the best images. This has proven to be correct for me. My only regret is not being able to capture images from Tioga Pass Road before it was closed for the season. However, this also offers the opportunity to visit Yosemite at a point when Tioga Pass Road has just been opened and once again enjoy the photography available to those who follow in the footprints of Ansel Adams.
