Sunbeams in a redwood forest, northern California coast
Today is the solstice, the official start of summer. It’s felt like summer for weeks here in the Sierra foothills. It’s been hot, and dry. Four (!) fires broke out near Mariposa and Oakhurst Thursday; fortunately they were all subdued quickly.
Cloud formation reflected in a pond, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
Claudia and I did head up to the high country yesterday afternoon, and found some great clouds. We drove through a nice downpour near Crane Flat, then continued up to Tuolumne Meadows, where I photographed a beautifully-shaped cloud reflected in one of the ponds (above). Later a storm cell formed over the peaks to the east, creating another dramatic cloud formation (below). That cell gradually dissipated, but some clouds still lingered until sunset (the last photo below). It was a really fun afternoon – I’m glad I finally made it up there!
Sea stacks at sunset along the northern California coast, Redwood National Park
Claudia and I are back in the redwoods, scouting and preparing for our workshop next week. I feel such a deep connection to this damp, lush, wild, primeval landscape. It feels like coming home.
While it’s common to find fog or low stratus here, over the past couple of days the stratus deck has been unusually persistent, staying all day instead of burning off in the afternoon. This is great for photographing redwoods, where fog often adds the perfect complement to the forest scenes. It doesn’t work so well for coastal landscapes, where sunlight usually helps. But we did see the sun poke underneath the stratus at the last moment one evening, as you can see from the photograph above. And I’ve included a few forest photographs below. I’m really looking forward to the workshop!
— Michael Frye
Autumn colors, Gunnison NF, CO, USA
I love photographing aspens. Their autumn color is wonderful, but it’s also those tall, straight, white trunks that make them so compelling.
It’s been a long-time dream of mine to photograph aspens in Colorado in the fall, but various obligations and commitments kept me from going. This year, however, Claudia and I found a brief time slot and decided to go. And we’re so glad we did, as it’s just beautiful here. Some high-elevation areas, like Crested Butte, are past peak, and others seem to be turning late, but we’ve found some wonderful color in several places, and an endless supply of great photo subjects. Here are some photographs from the past few days, and I’ll post more when I get a chance.
You don’t always get what you hope for, or what you expect, but that’s okay.
On Saturday, Claudia and I wanted to find a place to view the moonrise, but it’s the wrong time of year to see a full moon rising next to Half Dome, or any of Yosemite Valley’s more interesting rock formations. So we decided to climb Mt. Hoffman, which has a panoramic, 360 degree view from the geographical center of the park. From there the moon would rise over the high peaks near Mt. Lyell in the park’s southeastern corner.
There were lots of clouds that afternoon, so we didn’t know whether we’d see the moon at all, but reasoned that the clouds could create a nice sunset, moon or not. And then there was still a little smoke emanating from the Dark Hole Fire along Yosemite Creek, which might block the light. But you never know until you try, so we started up.
We had both climbed Mt. Hoffman before, but it had been a long time. The peak is pretty close to the road, so the climb to its summit is “only” four miles. It’s a steep ascent though, with an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet, at high altitude, so we definitely felt the climb in our legs and lungs.
Along the way there were great views of the Cathedral Range to the southeast, giving us an excuse to stop and rest. During those breaks we could see some very dark clouds to the east, and occasionally hear a rumble of thunder, so we paid close attention to the weather in case some of that rain and thunder might move in our direction. Luckily the stormy weather stayed to the east.
At one point the sun broke through the clouds and created some dramatic light on Cathedral Peak, so I got out my camera and made a few quick exposures (you can see one below).
Mt. Hoffman actually has several summits. We decided to go to the highest point first (the one with the radio tower), where we met and chatted with a couple of other hikers. As the sun lowered, and light started to get more interesting, I moved down the ridge to line up distant Mt. Conness with some of the cliffs along Mt. Hoffman’s summit ridge.
And then I saw a rainbow in the distance, over Tuolumne Meadows, but the rainbow was blocked by the foreground ridges. I had a choice: go back up to the summit, or down and along the ridge to another viewpoint. I decided going down was quicker, but by the time I got to a viewpoint the rainbow had faded. Oh well.
Sunrise at South Tufa, Mono Lake, Monday morning
Claudia and I have been in Lee Vining, on the eastern side of the Sierra, preparing for my Hidden Yosemite workshop. The weather over Mono Lake the last few days has been really interesting and moody, with some light showers, rainbows, and skies full of beautifully-textured clouds. In between scouting and setting up we’ve photographed a couple of sunsets and a sunrise at the lake, and I’ve included some of the images here.
The last photo might be the most unusual rainbow I’ve ever seen. Claudia, my workshop assistant Kirk Keeler, and I were walking out of the Whoa Nellie Deli after dinner last night when we spotted a rainbow. We drove quickly toward the lake, where we found a short, vivid section of the rainbow over a zigzag shoreline. The rainbow was formed by the sun poking through a small hole in the clouds and hitting a rain squall, which made it look like the rainbow was suspended in space and creating a sunbeam.
Forecasts call for similar weather over the next few days, so I’m looking forward to a great week with our group!
— Michael Frye
I’ve been using Lightroom since Adobe released the beta version in 2006. Over the years I’ve learned many shortcuts, and in this video I share some of my favorite tips – things I use all the time to streamline my workflow:
