Milky Way over the Tuolumne River, Yosemite; 15 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 6400
On Wednesday afternoon Claudia and I headed up to the beautiful, cool Yosemite high country. We photographed a flower-filled meadow, followed by a picnic dinner at Olmsted Point. Then after sunset we hiked out along the Tuolumne River.
Skies have been clear lately – not ideal for daytime landscapes, but perfect for photographing the night sky. And with a new moon it was the right time to see dark skies with lots of stars. I had used PhotoPills to figure out when the Milky Way would line up above some cascades along the Tuolumne River, which seemed like an interesting combination. But even if that didn’t work, Claudia and I just wanted to get out and enjoy a starry night in the high country.
When we got to the spot we turned off our headlamps and let our eyes adjust to the darkness. It’s amazing how much you can see just by starlight – and what a beautiful scene it was, with the Milky Way arching over the cascading river.
It was loud, too; the roar of all that water pouring over the rock ledges filled our ears. And there was enough spray coming off this small cascade to make it wet. I had to wipe off my lens repeatedly, which made the whole photographic process slow and tedious. But the Milky Way lined up perfectly, just as PhotoPills had predicted. And I was able to make the photograph I had envisioned with the Milky Way over the river, and a little extra glow on the water from my flashlight (above).
I wrote recently about my most common approach to finding subjects, which is to ask “What’s Happening Now?” What’s interesting or unusual about the current conditions? In this case there wasn’t any interesting weather, or anything particularly unusual going on. But it’s summer, which means the brightest part of the Milky Way (the galactic center) is visible in the evenings here in the northern hemisphere. With a new moon and clear skies, the night sky seemed like the most interesting thing going on. A consistent pattern of clear weather allowed me to take that idea and plan the photograph of the Tuolumne River and the Milky Way.
Beautiful starry nights like this just whet my appetite. I’m looking forward to spending more evenings under the stars this summer.
— Michael Frye
Related Posts: What’s Happening Now; Focusing in the Dark; A Clearing Storm by Starlight
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: 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.
The Milky Way over a milky Tuolumne. That is *very* inspired seeing.
Thanks Dan!
Michael, I’m curious as to where along the Tuolumne River you were. I have photographed the Milky Way from the slopes of Lembert Dome in September. At that time the Milky Way was above Unicorn and Cathedral Peaks. Might it be further east at this time of year? Your photo is gorgeous!
On closer inspection maybe that is Unicorn peak under your Milky Way, and you were somewhere below Tuolumne Meadows where the river angled and flowed toward you from the direction of the range. Hard to picture if one wasn’t there.
Carol, I don’t like to be too specific about locations like this because a lot of people read this blog and the next time I go there I might find a dozen photographers. But you’re on the right track.
Beautiful! I’ve recently been experimenting shooting the Milky Way. Curious about your white balance setting for this photo. My results from the auto setting yields a predominately greenish cast, quite different from what I see here.
Thanks Anna! White balance is tricky with nighttime photos. We don’t see the colors in the Milky Way with our eyes because the light’s too dim for the color-recording cones in our retinas to work, so who can say what the color really is? I tend to make the white balance somewhat cool (bluish) in photos like this because that it seems to look and feel right to have the night sky be somewhat blue. So in Lightroom I pushed the Temp slider down to 3650K for this photo, with the Tint at +27. But before you try to copy those settings to your photos, keep in mind that different cameras handle colors at night differently. Also, the greenish cast you refer to might be because of the way your camera records the color, but it could also be airglow, which is a naturally-occuring phenomenon in the night sky. You can see an example of airglow in this post (second-from-last photo):
https://www.michaelfrye.com/2014/08/28/starry-skies-adventure-workshop/
Or Google “airglow” to see more examples, some quite striking.
Thank you, Michael! I’ll be out practicing some more during the next new moon phase.
Your best shot of the year!!!! I am biased because I am a Milky Way but now. Great concept and preparation!
Thank you Karl!
Hi Michael,
Really stunning image. Does the high ISO limit your printing at all?
Thanks Michael. I haven’t printed this photograph yet, but the general answer to your question is that it depends. I have printed 6400 ISO images at 20×24 that I’m pretty happy with. There’s some noise, but that’s to be expected, and to my eye the noise is not objectionable. I have even printed one 6400 ISO image at 30×40 and thought it looked fine. But not all 6400 ISO images are equal in noise. It depends on the camera, of course, but also on how much light there is on the scene, and how much the image or parts of the image are lightened. Noise-reduction software also plays a role.
Hi Michael,
What a wonderful shot of one of my favorite areas to ramble. The picture really draws me in.
Thanks for sharing as always,
Doug
Thank you Doug!
Michael, Would it be possible to get a high quality print of this? Do you have a list of sizes and prices.
It is one of my very favorite photos of yours. I would take your recommendations on how I should frame it
Thank you so much.
Yes, of course. You can see a list of sizes and prices here:
https://www.michaelfrye.com/portfolios/print-ordering/
You can place an order on that page and then just email me with the image you’d like. As for framing, that’s really up to you to decide how much you want to spend, what goes with your decor, and so on. I like simple frames – but that’s me.
Hi Michael,
I am interested in “Stars Over the Tuolumne River.” I found no number for it yet. I want to order it after I know where I am moving to which will be after August 1.
Okay, no problem – whenever you’re ready.
Love this one, Michael. I like the preparation you did to plan just when and where. I have yet to try for a Milky Way shot. But the info here about time of year and adjustments to WB are useful guides. I think a new moon is probably a requirement. Take care and hope to see you some day out under the stars . . . !
Thanks Greg! Night photography is a lot of fun, so I hope you’ll try it.
Michael, Fantastic shot!! My son and I were at Yosemite in early June. I am from Rochester, NY so it was quite a treat for me. Can I ask you your camera settings for this shot?
Thanks,
Steve Clough
Thank you Steve! I’m glad you were able to visit Yosemite, and at a time when the waterfalls were flowing well. The camera settings are in the caption.
Beautiful image, Michael! Makes me feel as if I were a kayaker taking a brief moment to appreciate the amazing scenery.
Thanks Todd!
Hi Mike,
Gorgeous shot! I am also recently night photography but mostly in Joshua Tree. I’d love to shoot night photography at Yosemite. But on my mostmosture trips I am solo and encountering bears in Yosemite is holding me back. Please can suggest few safer spots along Tioga Road or Valley where chance of encountering a bear is minimal. Any safety tips?
By any chance do you plan to do a night photography workshop… I’d love to join.
Thank you Akash! There are no places in Yosemite where the chances of encountering a bear are minimal; bears are common throughout the park. But they are nothing to worry about. There are no grizzlies in Yosemite – only black bears, and Yosemite’s black bears are pretty benign. Contrary to all the myths, black bear mothers don’t defend their cubs (as grizzlies do) – they send them up a tree when there’s danger. I’ve never heard of a Yosemite bear being aggressive toward people. Aggressive in trying to get food, yes, but not toward people directly. I never give bears a second thought (or a first one) when photographing in Yosemite at night.
I do night photography workshops every year; please subscribe to the blog to get notifications when workshops become available.
I would like to know if there’s a way to purchase this photo online. I recently visited Yosemite and went to the Ansel Adams Gallery where I saw this photo in a small, white, cardboard-like frame (about 10-12 in by 7ish in)
I told myself to buy it the day I was leaving and completely forgot to.
* Correction: It was around 6-7 in x 9-11in. I have a picture of what it looks like but I can’t attach it in here.
Thanks for your inquiry Shelby. I don’t sell those small prints directly, but can contact The Ansel Adams Gallery and order it from them; their phone number is 209-372-4413.