In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog
by Michael Frye | Nov 18, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Half Dome and the Merced River, 7:41 a.m., November 8th
Even on a hot, crowded, cloudless day in August Yosemite Valley is a beautiful place. But sometimes it outdoes itself and puts on a show.
Last Monday, November 8th, was one of those days. At the peak of fall color, a rainstorm cleared during the night and left beautiful mist and clouds in its wake. As I wrote earlier, I found photographs everywhere.
I know a few other photographers who were in Yosemite Valley that day, and I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else did, and collect a portfolio of images—a portrait of Yosemite on one autumn day. So I’ve set up a Flickr group to do just that. If you were in Yosemite on November 8th, please upload some of your images so we can all see them. There are no limits to how many photographs you can include, but try to edit and show only your best work. Subject matter could be anything; the only restriction is that the photographs must have been made within the borders of Yosemite National Park on November 8th, 2010. And if you know anyone who was in Yosemite that day who might not read this blog, please send them a link and urge them to submit.
I’ve started things off by uploading 14 of my images from that day to the Flickr group. I look forward to seeing what everyone else captured!
by Michael Frye | Nov 12, 2010 | Critiques
“Dogwood” by Mark Wilburn
This week’s photograph was made by Mark Wilburn in Yosemite Valley. By having his image chosen for this critique Mark will receive a free 16×20 matted print from Aspen Creek Photo. If you’d like your images considered for future critiques you can upload them to the Flickr group I created for this purpose.
Overview, Composition, and Light
This image was made just a few days ago, on November 6th, near the peak of fall color in Yosemite Valley this year. In fact I was nearby, teaching a private workshop, when Mark made this photograph. I exchanged some pleasantries with a man who said he read my blog, but I didn’t get his name. Then when I contacted Mark about using this image for a critique he told me that was him!
Anyway, I know exactly where these dogwoods are: near Gates of the Valley, also known as Valley View. The dogwoods in this area are striking right now, but not necessarily easy to photograph. It’s one thing to find a colorful subject; it’s another to build a strong composition around that color.
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by Michael Frye | Nov 8, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
What a magical day it was in Yosemite Valley. The storm cleared overnight, and Claudia and I rose early to make the drive to the park. We saw a misty sunrise, a dramatic sunset, and beautiful fall color. Everywhere I looked there was another photograph, and another, and another—all demanding to be captured. I did my best to oblige. Here’s a morning view of Three Brothers in the mist; I’ll post more images soon.
Although some leaves were knocked down by the storm, most survived, and it looks like we’ll still have plenty of autumn color through this weekend.
First light on Three Brothers, around 7:00 a.m. this morning
by Michael Frye | Oct 27, 2010 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Big-leaf maple… from a few years ago
Fall Color in Yosemite Valley is late—really late. I reported last week that about 50 percent of the maple leaves had turned, 20 percent of the cottonwoods, 20 percent of the dogwoods, and 5 percent of the oaks. Well it’s nearly a week later and I’d say the percentages are the same! Hardly anything has changed. There is some good color in spots: as before, the best places are around Pohono Bridge and underneath Cathedral Rocks along Southside Drive. I heard a reliable report that the dogwoods along Highway 120 are about half turned.
At this point don’t want to even try to predict when the color will peak, or what kind of autumn it might be, as this season is progressing more slowly than any fall I can remember. I’ll let you know if things suddenly start to turn.
by Michael Frye | Oct 26, 2010 | Critiques
Star Trails and Cathedral Peak by Rick Whitacre
This week’s photograph was made by Rick Whitacre at Upper Cathedral Lake in Yosemite. By having his image chosen for this critique Rick will receive a free 16×20 matted print from Aspen Creek Photo. If you’d like your images considered for future critiques you can upload them to the Flickr group I created for this purpose.
When I saw this image among the submissions for this series, it occurred to me that I hadn’t critiqued a nighttime photograph before, and that doing so might help provide some lessons and insights into night photography.
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