Studio 47 Photography Photo Blog

More from Yosemite tonight. This will be a short post probably.  I meant to talk about this in my last Blog post, but got sidetracked.

Typically when we travel to some place new, we’ll pick up one of those travel books about the place.  Which one typically isn’t important as we’ve tried all different kinds of brands/publishers.  I tihnk the one that has the best maps for that city usually win out at that time.

This time, however, my wife came across this series called “Photo Secrets”.  They had one for San Francisco and Northern California by Andrew Hudson.

Now I can be all about blazing your own trail and finding that new angle or perspective.  I’d encourage it. I get it.  But sometimes when you are traveling for a relatively short trip, this kind of resource (1 of many) can be invaluable for understanding when and where you might want to be in a certain location to catch the right light.

So I’d encourage grabbing this kind of book to use as a resource and sometimes even for inspiration on your next trip.  It doesn’t hurt to learn from those that went before you and still create something that is your own.

Another inspiration within the park is the Ansel Adams Gallery.  This is a must see for any aspiring landscape photographer.  Along with Ansel Adams’ work there are some other great artists’ work  as well on display.

Armed with inspiration, I found myself in wonder among the park’s majestic beauty.  One of my favorite places was what is known as Valley View or Gates of the Valley.

This shot is of El Capitan with the reflection in the Merced River.  This angle required me to lay down in the snow at the edge of the water and position the camera an inch or so off the water.

Due to some early snow melt I guess, the water was running pretty good in the river.  It was difficult finding an area where the water was calm and it was a very small pool at the edge.

This was the portrait version I really liked, especially the effect of the low fog across the trees on the far side of the river.  I hope you enjoy as well.

Canon 5d Mk II, ISO 640, Canon 16-35L MkII @ 25 mm, f3.5, 1/640 sec., CPL filter