Clouds Touch Half Dome

Lumix G1, Lumix 45-200mm (@ 45mm)

Dan's recent Yosemite shots inspired me to go back to my pictures of Yosemite from last April (2011) to find one that I have not had a chance to post.

--Warren

Tranquil Merced River

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

Sometimes when I look back on my photo libraries, it reminds me of how fast time goes by. Our last trip to Yosemite was almost one year ago. We went at the end of April 2011.

I found this picture that I haven't had time to process until last night.

--Warren

Contrasts

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

Yosemite's granite behind a delicate tree in springtime.

--Warren

iPad Camera

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

The best camera is the one that you have with you at the time.

I saw this couple using their iPad to take pictures at Tunnel View in Yosemite. :)

--Warren

Yosemite Under The Clouds

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

Dan's wonderful Yosemite shots prompted me to look back on my images from last Spring (2011). I haven't had an opportunity to work on or post very many of them.

In fact, I have a very large backlog of pictures that I don't have time to post-process and/or post online.

This was one of the first shots that I took of Yosemite on this trip as we first drove into the valley after seeing Hetch Hetchy. We stop at this vista point almost every time we visit Yosemite, and of course the view is different every time, and often changes by the minute, up in the Sierra.

--Warren

Steller's Jay

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

On a valley hike in Yosemite, I came across a Steller's Jay amidst the shady trees. These jays are abundant in the Valley, and if you've ever seen them you'll know that they are in constant motion. It took eight shots to get this final one that I was happy with.

--Warren

Life Amid the Raging Torrent

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

As Dan alluded to in his last post, in contrast to the falls in Zion, the falls in Yosemite were in their full power and glory last weekend.

Yosemite's showpiece, Yosemite Falls, was a thunderous, raging torrent. As I was looking for a shot, I noticed a young tree halfway up the falls seemingly defying all odds by thriving right there, at the bottom of the spectacular upper Yosemite Falls. It's there in the lower left area of the picture. If you study it, you'll notice that the lower half of the young tree is behind a piece of granite which shields it from the wind and mist of the falls. The upper half is peeking up above the granite wall.

On this trip, Gail used the GF1 exclusively with the Lumix 14-45mm. I used the G1 with the 20mm or the 45-200mm zoom. This is the first time that I brought such a long lens to Yosemite, so naturally I took the opportunity to use the long zoom to get some "different" looks. It's always interesting and challenging to get "different" images at places like Yosemite or San Francisco that are photographed so often.

--Warren

Deer Kiss

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm

On our first evening in Yosemite last week, I captured a tender moment. :)

--Warren

Yosemite Squirrel

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

I saw this little guy stuffing his cheek pouches full of corn kernels. It looks like someone left the kernels out for the wildlife to find. This was just off the Mist Trail on the way up to Vernal Falls. I got pretty close to him, and he didn't seem to mind.

--Warren

Smoky Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

For some reason on this late afternoon in the Valley, there was a layer of smoke sitting above the meadow. This family didn't let that stop them from enjoying the views.

--Warren

Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

This was taken next to the Merced River, mid-morning in Yosemite Valley. I found a shady spot near here to do my Tai Chi practice.

Aside from picture from the usual places, it's always fun trying to find a different viewpoint.

--Warren

Lovers on a Bridge, Yosemite

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

These are not strangers, our friends, Cristina & David, were able to join us for a few days in Yosemite. However, they didn't know that I took this picture of them.

--Warren

Tree Layers, Yosemite Valley

Panasonic DMC-G1, Nikkor 85mm f2.0

Half Dome After Sunset

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

A Bridge in Yosemite

Panasonic DMC-G1, Nikkor 85mm f2.0

We went to Yosemite last weekend for a few days. The weather was perfect. I had an opportunity to practice a bit more with the G1. I'm beginning to know the camera better now, but I still have a way to go before knowing it completely. For this trip, I brought 3 lenses, 2 were native M4/3 lenses (Lumix 20mm and Lumix 14-45mm), and the 3rd was my Nikkor 85mm f2.0 to give me something on the telephoto end (170mm equivalent).

This is one of my shots taken with the 85mm. I'm also beginning to get more comfortable with using adapted lenses on the G1. The operating procedure is: 1) open to full aperture for optimum focusing 2) press the buttons that bring up the magnified live view for focusing (if necessary) 3) set focus 4) choose preferred aperture (if necessary) 5) compose and shoot. It sounds cumbersome, but with practice, this routine becomes second nature, and can go fairly quickly. The silky smooth focusing ring action on my 85mm Nikkor is a joy to use, and these M4/3 camera bodies give new life to all vintage lenses from any manufacturer, as many photographers have already discovered.

I would be interested to know what feelings or emotions this image evokes from you. It's okay if it doesn't evoke anything, and you can tell me that too :).

By the way, April is almost over, and nobody else (besides myself) has posted anything related to our April Project. For those of you who promised to participate, I hope you've been busily shooting for the project :). It's also time to talk about the May Project too. Any suggestions? As I said at the end of last month, we can also give it a rest for a while too, to put less pressure on ourselves :).

--Warren

View of Yosemite Falls from a Meadow

Nikon D100, Sigma 15-30mm

Here's another one for all you fans of my Yosemite pictures.

We've been to Yosemite so many times that it is a challenge to make a picture that is "different". To get warmed up and into the photography "groove", we go to the usual view points and we take the standard shots. This is true of any place with spectacular scenery, you feel compelled to take pictures of it even though you and everyone else have taken hundreds of pictures from the exact same spot before. Take Yosemite Falls, for example, it's true that each time, the scene is just little bit different, the weather, the fullness of the falls, the shadows on the granite, the color of the trees, etc. I'm sure that showing one of those "standard" shots would still impress by virtue of the subject matter. However, I believe that it is even more satisfying to see and create a new view of a particular subject. It takes time, willingness, patience, and a "practiced eye", to really observe the scenery around you.

This picture was taken in the meadow between Sentinel Bridge and Yosemite Falls. On this trip, we decided to stay and hike primarily in the valley. We hiked in the valley from one end to the other. After breakfast, we took took a shuttle to the Sentinel Bridge stop to see if the clouds have lifted from Half Dome. Half Dome was still covered in clouds so we decided to begin our walk by going through the meadow. The park service built wooden paths across the meadows in the valley in order to save the meadows from being trampled by park visitors (see my previous shot in a different meadow: "Meadow People"). As Gail walked ahead, I took my time on the path, snapping various shots along the way. As I walked along, I noticed that because it was still early summer, the falls were full and the rivers were high, and there was a lot water in this meadow. Then I came upon this particular swatch of water that was rather dramatically curved and I saw the reflection of Upper Yosemite Falls in the water. I immediately thought to myself, "Now here's a scene that you don't usually see!". I had to capture that scene as I saw it that morning. During any other time of the year, the meadow would be dry.

I decided to travel light on this trip, but most fortunately, I decided to include my Sigma 15-30mm in my kit (as my only other lens). My Tamron 24-135mm was on the camera at the time, and the 24mm was not wide enough to show what the image that I had already framed in my mind. The path was narrow, so there was no space for the "sneaker zoom technique"(walking back and forth). So I quickly put down my backpack and swapped lenses before anything changed. The winds were calm at that moment which made the reflection more pristine. I took 3 shots in total, the first two were overexposed, so I switched to manual exposure to compensate and got the shot that you see here.

I hope you enjoyed this story.


--Warren

Meadow People

Nikon D100

Another shot from our recent Yosemite trip.

--Warren

Serene Winter Morning in Yosemite

Camera: Yashica T4, Film: Kodak RG200

I shot this a few years ago. It was January, and it snowed the night before. When we went out in the early morning the next day, we were greeted with this amazing scene.

I just wanted to post this to get us in the mood for winter and the holidays.

--Warren