In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog
by Michael Frye | Apr 18, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Forest dogwood, 2009 (part of my current exhibit at The Ansel Adams Gallery)
Just a quick note about conditions in Yosemite before I start my Spring Yosemite Digital Camera workshop tomorrow…
Spring is a bit behind schedule this year. A few trees have new leaves, and a few more have buds, but Yosemite Valley hasn’t really started greening up yet. And there’s no sign of dogwoods. Looks like the dogwood bloom will be at least a week or two late; it will probably start the first or second week of May.
Down in the Merced River Canyon, west of the park, you can still find some nice redbud, but they’re fading quickly. By this weekend most will have leafed out. There aren’t many other flowers to be seen either.
But here in Yosemite Valley the waterfalls are roaring. I watched spray being blown all the way from the bottom to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall, something I can’t recall ever seeing before. It must have been the wind, or perhaps some strange configuration of the ice cone at its base. But in any case the recent warm weather has increased the rate of snowmelt, and a lot of water is coming down.
The weather is supposed to turn cooler this week, so the flow will temporarily diminish a bit, but any warm spells between now and mid-June will create heavy runoff. I expect this to be a great year for waterfalls.
by Michael Frye | Apr 13, 2011 | Announcements
Waves and Reflections in the Merced River
Some great events coming up! Here are a few highlights:
Reflections on Yosemite Exhibit
The Ansel Adams Gallery, April 18 – May 25
I’m busily printing and matting images for this show, which starts on Monday. We’ve picked the photographs and layout, and I think it will look great. The exhibit will include lots of new work, as well as a few of my classic Yosemite images. Regular readers of this blog will recognize many of the photographs, but there’s nothing like seeing actual prints.
I hope some of you will get to stop by the gallery (next to the Visitor Center in Yosemite Valley) during the show, or better yet come to the reception on Saturday, May 7th, from 3 to 5 p.m.
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by Michael Frye | Apr 5, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Redbud and Rocks along the Merced River. Soft light emphasized the colors.
Flower Reports
They’re late this year, but the redbud are finally blooming in the Merced River Canyon, along Highway 140 west of Yosemite. I’d say they’re just short of peak; some have not yet bloomed, but none have leaves. Photographically, this is the most interesting time, as once they start to leaf out they’re not as photogenic.
The big snowstorm two weeks ago damaged some of the redbud near El Portal, but further west they’re in great shape. Look for them everywhere near the river along the main highway, as well as the Merced River Recreation Area at Briceburg.
So far few poppies have appeared near the Merced River. They might be late, or it just may turn out to be a poor year for them—time will tell. But the best poppy blooms I’ve seen here have always occurred in March.
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by Michael Frye | Mar 23, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
A snowy scene from 2008
A storm dumped three feet of snow in Yosemite Valley on Sunday and Monday, knocking down trees and power lines, and closing all roads into the park. Due to lack of electricity and water in Yosemite Valley, the park service evacuated all visitors and non-essential employees. The park won’t reopen until power is restored, which may not be until this weekend, or possibly later. The main electrical line into the park was cut by a rock slide that knocked over an electrical tower, and replacing the tower requires bringing in crews and equipment by helicopter.
More rain and snow are falling in the park today, another storm is expected to arrive tomorrow, and one more on Saturday. These additional weather systems may hamper efforts to clear roads and restore electricity.
Power is still out in many foothill communities outside the park, especially around Oakhurst. We lost electricity at our home in Mariposa for about eight hours on Monday, but this was a small problem compared to what some of our neighbors are dealing with. My mom, who lives outside of Oakhurst, is still without power, so she’d taken refuge with us.
Here’s a link to one story and video about this event, and here’s another, both from Fresno’s ABC30 web site. If any of you find links to other good information, please post them in the comments. If you’re planning to head to Yosemite, call 209-372-0200 for the latest road information.
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by Michael Frye | Feb 17, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Last Friday I was in Yosemite Valley being interviewed by Steve Bumgardner for a segment of his Yosemite Nature Notes video series. After the interview I decided to head over to the Southside Drive viewpoint for Horsetail Fall. Skies were clear to the west, so the waterfall got that last orange light, but as you can see from this photo there wasn’t a lot of water. It’s a decent flow for this ephemeral fall, better than in some years, but a little below average. Compare the accompanying photo to this one from 2010, or another from 2009. Of course none of these approach the tremendous volume of water in my image from February 1995.
Despite the less-than-spectacular flow, clear skies last weekend allowed many people to capture some nice Horsetail Fall images. You can find links to a few of those photos in the comments of my last post about Horsetail from February 8th.
Meanwhile, a snowstorm deposited about six inches of snow on the valley floor yesterday. Another larger storm is predicted to bring snow tonight through Saturday. We may get a break Sunday or Monday, so Horsetail photos might still be possible again this year. The cold weather has diminished the flow in Horsetail even further, but one warm, sunny day could revive it.
But hey, Horsetail, schmorsetail—we’ve got snow! And clouds, and the chance for clearing storm photos when the next system departs. After six weeks of rather bland skies, it’s nice to see some interesting weather. We could have some great photo opportunities in Yosemite over the next week.
I’ve had a busy workshop schedule, plus a last-minute writing assignment, so I haven’t been able to devote time to the next photo critique, but I should be able to post that next week. I think it will be an interesting one, so stay tuned!
