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The Yosemite
16-20 November 2011

 

These are snaps from Dave Wyman's photo tour of Yosemite for serious photographers. It was pretty much the same as last month's tour, except by prohibiting DSLRs we figured we'd keep out the riff-raff.

I packed a Canon S95, LEICA M9 and 1963 LEICA M3 loaded with Kodak TMAX 100. As I publish this, I still have film in the M3, so I haven't been to the lab yet. I'll add those snaps later.

Since the LEICA M9 has to be shot in DNG to get decent colors, I shot the Canon S95 in CR2 (raw) as well, and processed it all in Apple Aperture 3.

I exported my edited "versions" from Aperture, cataloged and selected the good ones in iView, and formatted each for publication in Photoshop CS5.

Note that half of these shots were made with a lens that was made in 1934, and they look just fine.

 

17 November 2011, Thursday           top

Today I flew into Yosemite from New York City via San Francisco and a rental car.

Beer and Sodas, Route 94, 11:26 AM

Beer and Sodas, Route 94, 11:26 AM. (2010 Canon S95 at 18.2mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/5.6 at 1/1,000 at AUTO ISO 80.)

 

We met the group at Cedar Lodge.

Rockwell and the Bear Family, 4:40 PM

Rockwell and the Bear Family, 4:40 PM. (2010 Canon S95 at 8.6mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/2.8 at 1/50 at AUTO ISO 320.)

 

Cedar Lodge, 5:05 PM

Cedar Lodge, 5:05 PM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/3.5, 1/16 at AUTO ISO 1,600, no stinking tripod.)

Of course shooting at f/3.5 means the foreground is soft; tough.

 

18 November 2011, Friday           top

In the Barn, 10:57 AM

In the Barn, 10:57 AM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/12.5, 45 seconds at ISO 320, casual use of $40 Dolica AX620B100 tripod, split-toned print.)

 

Three Logs, 11:10 AM

Three Logs, 11:10 AM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/12.5, 60 seconds at ISO 320, casual use of $40 Dolica AX620B100 tripod, split-toned print.)

 

Three Men, Foresta 11:44 AM

Three Men, 11:44 AM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/12.5, 1/6 second at ISO 160, casual use of $40 Dolica AX620B100 tripod.)

This really should have been in black-and-white, however there was no differentiation between the stones and the background.

 

Bridge, 1:16 PM

Bridge, 1:16 PM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/12.5, 1/90 at AUTO ISO 200, split-toned print.)

I flipped the negative to make this shot read from left to right.

 

Water, 1:20 PM

Water, 1:20 PM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/12.5, 1/60 at AUTO ISO 160, split-toned print.)

This snap is all about the basics. There's a shape along the top from the right, and another shape that comes up from the lower left. It has nothing to do with water or land.

 

The Dark, Wet Ride Out, 4:59 PM.

The Dark, Wet Ride Out, 4:59 PM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1965 LEICA SUMMICRON 35mm f/2 at f/2, 1/16 at AUTO ISO 1,000, hand-held, shot through the windshield.)

With a SUMMICRON, it's never to dark to shoot.

 

19 November 2011, Saturday           top

Tunnel View, 7:10 AM

Tunnel View before Dawn, 7:10 AM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1965 LEICA SUMMICRON 35mm f/2, f/8 at 1/180 at AUTO ISO 160.)

I jacked the highlights and shadows around in Aperture.

It looked crappy as-shot, and I had no hope for it, but heck, I snapped it anyway.

 

Horseplay, 7:37 AM.

Horseplay, 7:37 AM. (2010 iPod Touch, f/2.4 at 1/120 at AUTO ISO 160.)

We found a disoriented photographer trying to get back up. We took his picture; otherwise we don't know what happened to him. Poor guy., and I thought this was a tour for serious photographers.

 

Tunnel View, 7:45 AM.

Tunnel View at Dawn, 7:45 AM. (2010 Canon S95 at 9.6mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/4 at 1/250 at AUTO ISO 80.)

I jacked the highlights and shadows around in Aperture. Even with better light, it still looked crappy as-shot.

Yes, the Canon S95 point-and-shoot looks worlds better than the LEICA M9 because the light got better.

 

More Horseplay at the Big Trees, 2:23 PM

More Horseplay at the Big Trees, 2:23 PM. (2010 Canon S95 at 6mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/3.2 at 1/30 at AUTO ISO 80.)

So much for any hopes of this being a trip for serious photographers. The joke's on me as usual.

 

Big Trees, 3:01 PM

Big Trees, 3:01 PM. (2010 Canon S95 at 12.8mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/3.5 at 1/80 at AUTO ISO 640.)

The sun almost came out, and in so doing, spread soft warm light on the trees.

 

20 November 2011, Sunday           top

We were going to head straight home, but just for kicks we headed into the park for one last look in case it was snowing.

Bridge in Snow, 9:32 AM

Bridge in Snow, 9:32 AM. (2010 Canon S95 at 6mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/4 at 1/30 at AUTO ISO 640, split-toned print.)

There was no color, so throwing it all the way to black and white removes the distraction of sucky color and makes what's left so much more powerful.

 

Chapel in Snow, 9:32 AM.

Chapel in Snow, 9:32 AM. (2010 Canon S95 at 12.8mm, Pro (P) mode chose f/3.5 at 1/80 at AUTO ISO 100.)

Yay! Christmas snow!!!

 

Stripes

Red Tree by Motel, 11:18 AM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/9, 1/60 at AUTO ISO 250.)

This tree was insane, and it was sitting across from the Cedar Lodge the whole time.

I flew back to New York from LAX, so we headed south on Route 99.

 

Scary Clouds, 12:50 PM

Scary Clouds, 12:50 PM. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 shot out window of moving car, 1/125 at AUTO ISO 160.)

 

Stripes

Low Angeles, 1934, 5:47 PM. Bigger. (2009 LEICA M9, 1934 LEITZ ELMAR 50mm f/3.5 at f/4.5, 32 seconds at ISO 160, casual use of $40 Dolica AX620B100 tripod.)

These homes were built in 1934, just like the lens I used to photograph them in the drizzle. I think my 1934 lens works just swell, and it weighs half what a new lens does. Even uncoated, it looks great. Winner!

 

That's It! return to top.

 

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