Peak and aspens during a clearing storm, June Lake Loop, Friday morning
The past week has been very warm, so there hasn’t been a big color change at the lower elevation aspen groves in the eastern Sierra during that time. But there’s definitely more color in those areas, and some great spots, although much of the June Lake Loop and Lee Vining Canyon are still green. Conway Summit, which is a little higher, has some very colorful groves, although it also has some bare trees, and green ones as well. Several spots in the greater Lee Vining area seem to have more oranges and reds than usual.
We also found some beautiful color in Bishop Creek Canyon. North Lake is past peak, though there was still some nice color along the shore. But lower down we found lots of colorful trees, especially along the road to South Lake.
We had heavy rain this morning in Lee Vining, which may have knocked some leaves down, but there’s been little wind, so most of the color still seems to be intact. And all those green aspens at lower elevations should start turning quickly with the arrival of cooler weather.
— Michael Frye
Related Post: Fall Color in the Eastern Sierra
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Spectacular images, as usual. I passed thru some of the same areas in Colorado maybe a week prior to you. Enjoyed shooting photos more than ever this time, with all the insight gained from your excellent material. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and especially for writing the outstanding Lightroom 5 Landscapes ebook.
Need a little help. I recently upgraded to a new MacBook Pro and the Lightroom CC version. For the life of me, I can’t find your preferred Default Settings to import into my new software. Got the B&W Presets you made, but seem to have lost your Default Settings. Thought it was in the book, but I’ve gone blind apparently. Can you point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Scott
Thanks Scott! When you say that you can’t find my preferred Default settings, are you talking about a preset that you made? Or are you just saying that you can’t find where they are in the book? If it’s the latter, you’ll find a discussion of the default settings on page 18 of the new edition, or page 20 of the original edition.
Thanks Michael. My old Mac crashed, so I couldn’t copy it over. Thought I had imported your presets from the DNG folder. But now that you mention it, I think I just made a new preset using your settings shown in the book. Sorry to hi-jack your blog over it. I made a new preset today in LR-cc, easy enough.
Can’t say enough good things about your Landscapes in Lightroom book. I read two different (thick) books on Lightroom. Your book eclipses both…..slam dunk, no contest! No nonesense, straight to the task of skill development. Being able to download your photos and follow along with the edits is hands-on fantastic.
Scott
I’m glad you were able to restore your preset Scott, and thanks very much for your comments about the Landscapes in Lightroom book. I really appreciate that.
Good Morning Michael
Loved your latest images. A little surprised to not see Convict Lake. One of my favorites for early morning sun rise. Love to track the sun across this small lake.
Thanks Roger. I did photograph Convict Lake this fall, and have photographed it many times in the past, but just haven’t posted any images of it yet this year.