After a couple of lovely nights in Stanislaus National Forest, we got up and hurried our way into Yosemite National Park. We were trying to get in as many hikes as possible that day. Our plan was to do hike, spend one night at the campground in Yosemite Valley (that we lucked out on getting) and then do a few more hikes the following morning. Somehow we managed to get the kids to hike a few miles over the two days. We were very proud of them despite the occasional tantrum mid-hike.
The photos here are not in chronological order of our visit. In looking at my favorites, I decided to split it out into a post with trees and a post with rocks and water. Hopefully neither will disappoint!
This image was taken after lunch our first day we arrived. We wandered through the meadows of Yosemite Valley and found a great spot under these trees to eat our sandwiches and rest. This perspective is far from original but I hadn’t taken one like this until now. I think the sun star at the bottom is interesting. Typically we think of the sun being above trees but this perspective allows for alternative locations. It was a fun photo to take but I don’t find the composition terribly compelling.
This (dead) tree was on the side of one of the trails we hiked. I thought this perspective with the wide angle lens would be the best but I tried a few other as well just for experimentation. After returning home I think my initial gut was best. I love the texture of these roots. I would’ve preferred the background to be more blurred but I couldn’t get much closer to this without cutting off parts of it. Now that I’m posting it however, I probably could’ve used a longer lens and attempted the Brenizer Method. It may have worked out but I like this one just fine.
This limb was in on of the meadows in the valley. It caught my eye quite quickly due to it’s odd shape. I like how the sun is hitting it and making the moss seem to glow a little. I also like that it’s composed in such a way where its previous host is still partially visible. I wish I had opened up the aperture a bit more so that the background trees would’ve disappeared more. It feels too busy especially on the focal point where the light hits the moss. Still, I am more fond of this picture than I thought I would be when I took it.
This tree with its sequoia neighbors stood out to me while walking to the trailhead. The red bark of the sequoias is vivid but this is the only tree who’s leaves seem to be succumbing to the cooler temperatures. I like that this angle makes the tree look as though it’s growing out over the road.
My father is a woodworker so for years I’ve seen gorgeous burl bowls, boxes, and pens he has made that exhibit qualities similar to this specimen. It reminds me of a completed woodworking project. I think the fluid grain and coloration here is really pretty. I would’ve loved to take a chunk of this back to my dad to see what he could turn it into but it seems that the National Park Service exists to preserve nature whether is be dead, alive, or azoic.
Yosemite has a dose of Giant Sequoia trees. Here is a famous set of them – The Bachelor and Three Graces. I’m certain that, although I took this photo myself, a similar one exists on countless hard drives. However, I’m happy with mine. The Bachelor stands tall looking upon the Three Graces all in a row. It’s a simple composition and I’d prefer the streaks of light not show across the bark. Unfortunately there is nothing in the scene to show scale which, I learned on this trip, is really what is needed to show off the girth and height of these trees.
I did manage to nab a couple of photos that show scale of the Giant Sequoias. Here, the deer show how massive the tree is especially given that they seem a fair ways in front of it (which they are). The background is too light and the foreground is too dark but I had to include something showing the scale of these trees. I’m disappointed that I don’t have additional shots to exhibit with visual context.