We are on our final workshop of the 2010 season in Yosemite National Park. Arnie and I flew into San Francisco, and puttered a bit through Marin County where I lived quite some years ago. It was a nostalgia trip for me, enjoying the familiar views of the Golden Gate, San Francisco, and Alcatraz, my old street and the house where I lived, complete with the Japanese Maple I so loved by the front door.
We drove into the Sacramento Valley to enjoy a lovely evening with alumni friends, sharing stories, fun remembrances, and of course, photographs. The next morning, we headed down to Yosemite for final scouting. Days in this park are short at this time of year, so we couldn’t do any scouting on the way into the valley. By the time we checked into the Lodge, it was dark.
The next day, however, was beautiful, but the skies were boring. Either ho-hum, naturally polarized blue, or flat gray. It was frustrating, but Mother Nature always has a mind of her own. We scouted and found a lot of locations (and shots) that pleased us.
We checked out the classic, entering-the-valley view. More blue skies. Ugh! Interesting things, however, were happening to the west, so we scooted through the tunnel to investigate. There, just on the other side, we were greeted by one of the more amazing sunsets we have seen in a very long time. Layers of red and orange and yellow over layered land. It was quite extraordinary.
We headed up to Chinquapin only to find that the road we wanted to take was closed because of a rock slide. Back down the mountain we headed to be greeted by another sort of very interesting sky. Gray, but with lots of textured mists obscuring the trees on the ridge.
One of the things about big valleys is that they have their own weather systems. It can be sunny at one end and stormy at the other. Go through a pass, and who knows what you might find.
We came back into the valley, and as we headed to the Lodge, the stars came out. Rather than take a chance of missing it, we delayed dinner and headed to a good vantage point for some night skies. Some of you may remember those from Zion last September. These were just as interesting.
So remember when you go out shooting, watch the weather. Turn around and see what it is in the other direction. Anticipate what might happen and be there. Many people attribute shots to luck, but the experienced photographer can anticipate a lot. f/8 and be there, and be patient and observant.
Some people said they didn’t see the links to our special, wine tour of Sicily. Here they are:
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Spectacular (pictures) as always!
Thanks, Karen. We did them our last night with the group, too, but in a different location. They did a fabulous job. Can’t wait to post them on the website!
Take care,
TBC