During my college years in Washington State, as I became both a climber and a photographer, there was one photo that came to represent both my love of mountains and art. Ansel Adam’s Clearing Winter Storm was the first nature photo that spoke to me of how I could connect my passion for mountains with my growing interest in photography. All through college a bad Laser Jet print of Clearing Winter Storm was taped above my desk as I dreamed of someday making my own pilgrimage to the “promised land” of climbing and landscape photography. The day I graduated from college I moved into my minivan and drove straight to California to finally have my chance at climbing and photographing in this sacred valley.
Fast forward 20 years and I have spent a good part of my adult life playing in the mountains of Yosemite, having now mostly traded climbing ropes for lenses. But the passion still exists, and every time I drive into the valley, I still get goose bumps looking up at the walls and watching the light change. Needless to say, I love introducing new people to the park and sharing my passion for the place. This past fall I got to share this passion with five exceptional photographers from throughout the country, several of whom this was their first visit to Yosemite.
Our trip started in Fresno, which is the closest airport to the park. After introductions and discussion of goals we climbed aboard our comfortable 12 passenger van. As we drove into the park, we discussed some of the park’s history and the story of conservation in the American West. After entering the park, I pulled the van to the side of the road and read an excerpt of John Muir’s My first summer in the Sierra to the group before we passed through the tunnel giving several members of the group their first in person view of Tunnel View (perhaps the most photographed landscape viewpoint in the entire world).
After spending some time soaking in and photographing the view, we headed down into the valley to check into our hotel before our welcome dinner in the Mountain Room Restaurant. The Mountain Room has perhaps the largest and best collection of Yosemite photographs anywhere in the park. It was hard not to get distracted by the inspiring prints while we all told stories of past photo adventures and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Imagine eating a fancy dinner in a museum of Yosemite photographs by some of the modern masters. At some point during the meal nearly everyone from the group wandered off to look closer at the prints hanging on the walls. It’s a great way to get inspired for a week of photography in the park.
The following morning, we were up before dawn and headed out for sunrise along the Merced River. After sunrise we moved to another location to take advantage of the early morning light mixed with shadows on the cliff walls. While the group photographed the interplay of light and shadow among the trees and cliff, I prepared a field breakfast and coffee. Eventually as the group slowly wandered over to the table setup behind our van everyone enjoyed breakfast and shared photos from the morning’s shoots. Being a low water year, the falls didn’t have much water, so we decided to continue looking for intimate compositions in the shade following breakfast.
Eventually as the sun rose high in the sky and the light got harsher, we went back to our hotel for lunch and a mid-day siesta. Meeting again in the later afternoon we headed to a location along the Merced River for a reflection of Half Dome at sunset. Setting up along the shore early, we had plenty of time to work on composition and camera settings before the light show started. With no wind and the river flowing slowly there were plenty of opportunities for reflections and abstracts. After sunset we all sat around the table at dinner sharing stories from previous photography adventures and comparing compositions from our spectacular sunset shoot along the river.
The next several days the itinerary was similar. We would rise early and be at a different valley location for sunrise, then move to a more shaded secondary location to have breakfast and continue shooting till mid-morning. After lunch in one of the valley restaurants we took midday breaks before heading back out again for sunset. Because much of our week was cloudless, we tried to choose sunset locations that would work well even without dramatic skies. One benefit of it being a dry fall was that the high-country roads were still open. So, leaving early one afternoon we drove up to Glacier Point for a sunset shoot. Glacier Point offers photographers an eye level view across the valley towards Half Dome. After setting up our tripods we enjoyed a charcuterie platter perched on a natural glacier carved granite tabletop. Our group was the envy of all as we enjoyed our snacks and photographed the sunset. It came as an unexpected treat that while driving home in the dark, we were able to catch a faint view of the recent comet out over the California Central Valley.
Another afternoon we left the valley early and drove up towards Tuolumne Meadows on Tioga Pass to a different angle of Half Dome for sunset. While most visitors to the park only see and photograph from the valley, it was a special treat to see the park’s unique high country in the late afternoon light. Again, we enjoyed a wonderful spread of snacks while the group photographed sunset light on Half Dome with telephoto lenses silhouetting trees and boulders against its massive face.
After mostly clear skies, as the week was ending, we started to see the potential for building clouds on our last day. As the final day arrived, cameras were cleaned and rechecked, and there was a feeling of anticipation and excitement in the air as we drove to Tunnel View for our final sunset. Arriving early, we had plenty of time to set up our tripods and enjoy a snack while waiting for the light show to begin. As a continuous parade of clouds passed over the valley and the sun sank lower, more than one member of our group commented on how amazing it was that we had saved the best for last, and they couldn’t wait to make a print from tonight’s sunset to hang on their wall back home. After sunset we again enjoyed a wonderful meal in the Mountain Room, where now the photos on the walls took on new meaning and new appreciation.
On our final morning, we were up early and having breakfast at the Ahwahnee as the sun peaked into the valley. After final photos around the historic hotel, we were on the road back to Fresno in time for people to make their afternoon flights home. It hardly felt like only a week had passed as the group who had started as strangers was now a group of friends. As I dropped people off for their flights and at their hotels, hugs were shared all around and promises were made to keep in touch and photos to be shared. As I drove back to my home a few hours north of the park, I was reminded how lucky we all were to spend a week outside in John Muir’s “grandest of all the special temples of nature” and that no day in Yosemite is ever a bad day!
