In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog
by Michael Frye | Jun 23, 2016 | Composition
Big-leaf maples in spring, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
A couple of weeks ago Claudia and I were in Yosemite Valley and drove past this maple with beautiful, backlit, bright-green leaves. So we stopped to see if there might be a photograph there. At first I couldn’t find a composition. Although the glowing leaves were beautiful, the light was splotchy, and this tree was right above a tent cabin in Housekeeping Camp, so it was difficult to keep that tent and others out of the picture.
But it seemed like there was something there, so we persisted, me with my big camera, Claudia with her iPhone. The visual clutter caused by the splotchy light, random arrangements of branches, and distracting background objects (the tent cabins) initially seemed to warrant using a telephoto lens, and focusing on a section of the leaves. The longer lens would help simplify things, keep the clutter to a minimum, and focus attention on the leaves themselves, which were what originally caught my eye. But I couldn’t find a group of leaves that had a strong enough pattern, and the photographs didn’t convey the feeling of those glowing leaves.
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by Michael Frye | Jun 19, 2016 | Announcements
Stars, mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
Just a reminder that the special Ansel Adams Gallery print sale ends today at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, so you still have a few hours left to get 25% off two of my images: Stars, Mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, and Swirling Mist From Tunnel View. You can see all the details about the sale in this earlier post, or go directly to The Ansel Adams Gallery’s website to purchase a print here.
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by Michael Frye | Jun 14, 2016 | Announcements
Swirling mist from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
I’m pleased to announce that once again The Ansel Adams Gallery is sponsoring a special print sale of two of my photographs, at 25% off the normal price. The two images we selected for this offer are Swirling Mist From Tunnel View, Yosemite, and Stars, Mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, Yosemite. These two photographs are in my current exhibit at The Ansel Adams Gallery, but otherwise have never been exhibited at a gallery or sold before.
My signed, limited-edition 16×20 prints usually sell for $325, but during this sale you can get one for only $244. Or you can purchase a 20×24 print, normally $475, for only $356. This is a rare chance to purchase one of my photographs at a reduced price, but the sale lasts for just six days, until Sunday, June 19th, at 6:00 PM Pacific time. Visit the Ansel Adams Gallery website to purchase a print or get more details.
Here are the stories behind the photographs:
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by Michael Frye | Jun 12, 2016 | Composition
Sea stacks and cormorant, Redwood NP, CA, USA
Separating visual elements is a concern in any composition, but seems to be particularly vital when photographing the ocean and forest scenes along the northern California coast. Both sea stacks and redwood trunks need to be well-spaced, balanced, and stand out clearly.
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by Michael Frye | Jun 7, 2016 | Light and Weather
Sunbeams in a redwood forest along the northern California coast
Before our workshop last week we found fog along the Klamath River, and valley fog in some meadows, but none of the coastal fog that typically envelops the California coast in summer. The coastal fog is much more widespread than the other types of fog, and it’s the only kind of fog that gets thick enough and high enough to penetrate into the redwood forests. That coastal fog typically forms when it’s hot inland, but temperatures just hadn’t reached summer levels yet.
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by Michael Frye | May 29, 2016 | Light and Weather
Foggy sunrise along the Klamath River, Redwood NP, CA, USA
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by Michael Frye | May 22, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening
Tenaya Lake was totally free of ice, while Tioga Lake was almost completely frozen. Ellery Lake just right, with a photogenic mixture of ice and open water. But I’m sure that will all melt soon, while Tioga Lake should be getting more open patches of water.
Meanwhile, the park did get some showers on Friday and Saturday, with a dusting of high-elevation snow. The Tioga Road has been closed off and on since Friday night, though as I write this it’s open. With showers in the forecast over the next few days it’s possible that the road may close again temporarily.
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by Michael Frye | May 19, 2016 | Advanced Techniques, Night Photography
Lunar rainbow from Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite; from June, 2011, a very wet year
Lunar Rainbows and the Milky Way
There will be a full moon this Saturday, and I’m sure many photographers will be heading to Yosemite to photograph the lunar rainbow. Astronomer and “Celestial Sleuth” Don Olson has updated his website to include predictions for when the moonbow will appear on Upper Yosemite Fall from Cook’s Meadow, in addition to his previous predictions for Lower Yosemite Fall.
I think there should be enough spray to make the rainbow visible on Upper Yosemite Fall this month, but probably not in June, when there will be less spray. The Lower Yosemite Fall bridge might work in June, because you don’t need as much water to see a rainbow from that spot, but I expect the bridge will be rather wet this month, which will make it hard to keep spray off the front of your lens. Of course the weather always plays a role, and there are showers in the forecast for this Friday and Saturday nights, so the moonlight might get blocked by clouds. But if you want to try your hand at either location, here are some tips for photographing lunar rainbows.
This is also the beginning of Milky Way season here in the northern hemisphere. The brightest part of the Milky Way can now be seen rising just after 10:30 p.m. here in central California, and will be visible in the evening sky through September.
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by Michael Frye | May 18, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Mammoth Peak reflected in snowmelt pond, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite, from 1993
— Michael Frye
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by Michael Frye | May 17, 2016 | Announcements
Swirling mist from Tunnel View, Yosemite
The Ansel Adams Gallery is located next to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center in Yosemite Village. Summer hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., seven days a week. If you’re in Yosemite during June or July I hope you’ll stop by the Gallery and see the exhibit. Or maybe the show will give you another excuse to visit the park – as if you needed one!
— Michael Frye
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