by Michael Frye | Aug 18, 2011 | Critiques, Yosemite Photo Conditions
Wildflowers, Tuolumne Meadows, 1986
It’s wildflower season in the Yosemite high country, which made me think about this image that I made 25 years ago, in August of 1986, in Tuolumne Meadows.
In the 1980s large swaths of Lemmon’s paintbrush and shooting stars were common in Tuolumne Meadows in the summer. But 1986 brought the best bloom I’ve ever seen there, with this great mix of paintbrush, little elephant’s heads, lupine, shooting stars, penstemons, and… that yellow flower (arrowhead butterweed?). For some reason though wildflowers have diminished in Tuolumne Meadows in recent years, and those great blooms seem to be a thing of the past.
In the summer of 1986 I was working at The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley. On the day I made this photograph I drove up to the high country after work. A thunderstorm had rolled through, leaving the meadows wet and the skies overcast. But just before sunset the sun crawled underneath the clouds and lit up the peaks in the distance.
I actually think I did a pretty good job with the composition here. I needed to find some kind of structure or design to hold the foreground together and lead the viewer’s eyes into the distance. The little V- shaped group of flowers at the bottom of the frame accomplished both those things, giving the foreground some structure and leading viewer’s eyes toward the background. As a bonus, that V-shape mirrors the upside down Vs of the peaks.
The horizon line is high, but I think that’s appropriate here: the foreground is much more interesting than the sky. I’m glad I wasn’t overly concerned about putting the horizon a third of the way from the top.
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by Michael Frye | Aug 3, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Corn lily circle
A heavy winter, wet spring, and late snowmelt have all conspired to delay the wildflower bloom in the Yosemite high country, but it’s now in full swing. It’s a fantastic year for corn lilies—those plants with the sculpted, photogenic leaves and tall stalks of white blossoms. The Crane Flat Meadows are full of them, more than I’ve ever seen before, but these flowers are abundant in all the meadows between 6000 and 8000 feet right now. I made the accompanying photos in McGurk Meadow, where I found a nice mix of corn lilies and paintbrush.
These displays just the beginning. With all the residual moisture from melting snow, it promises to be a good—though late—wildflower year. Some spots may not peak until the end of August or even the beginning of September.
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by Michael Frye | May 31, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Sunbeams from Tunnel View, Saturday morning
First, some good news: the blog is back up! It took a little longer than I hoped, but all the posts have been restored. Most of the comments will eventually be restored also, but some, unfortunately, may be lost. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience and understanding!
Meanwhile, in Yosemite, the cool, wet weather has continued through most of May. Yosemite Valley has reached over 55 inches of total precipitation since July 1st last year, one of the wettest seasons on record. The Valley even received a couple of inches of snow around May 17th, while I was in Utah.
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by Michael Frye | May 9, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Emerging dogwood along the Merced River (from 2005)
I drove up to Yosemite Valley on Saturday for my reception at The Ansel Adams Gallery, and saw many dogwoods in full bloom—finally! I’d say about half of the blossoms in the valley had turned white, while half were still in that greenish-yellow stage. They’re changing quickly, and I expect that most of them are in full bloom today.
Meanwhile, the attendance at the reception was great—thanks to all of you who came! It was fun to actually shake hands with people who I’d previously only met in the comments of this blog, or on Facebook or Twitter. And it was nice to connect with old friends and acquaintances.
Now I’m on my way to Utah for the Moab Photography Symposium later this week. I’m reminded of that line at the end of the Coen brother’s movie Raising Arizona, something about finding a place “where all the children are happy, and all the parents are strong, and wise. Maybe Utah.” Of course—Utah. Here I come.
by Michael Frye | Apr 26, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Rainbow on Bridalveil Fall
We had a great time last week during my Spring Yosemite Digital Camera Workshop. The weather was constantly changing, which made things challenging, but interesting. I made this photograph of Bridalveil Fall on Thursday as clouds alternately hid and revealed the sun, creating wonderful chiaroscuro light.
Cooler weather has slowed the snowmelt a bit, but the waterfalls are still going strong. The lower temperatures will actually help preserve the snowpack, and ensure that the water will continue to flow well into summer. Someone asked me recently about photographing the lunar rainbow during the July 14th full moon, and I think that might actually be possible this year. There will certainly be plenty of spray for rainbows during the May and June full moons.
A few cottonwood trees have started to leaf out, and I saw the beginnings of some dogwood blossoms. Although skies are supposed to be mostly clear this week, temperatures are expected to remain cool, which might slow the emergence of the dogwoods. At this point the dogwood peak looks to be at least two weeks away, although we could see some individuals in full bloom within a week.
It’s still shaping up to be a spectacular spring—but a late one.
