Yosemite in Springtime

07 08 09 10 May 2019

Half Dome in Clouds at Sunset

The Half Dome.

 

Introduction

These are photos from the Spring Light in Yosemite workshop I helped lead.

I brought only one camera, a Fujifilm GFX 50R, and only two lenses: a Fujifilm GF 32-64mm and a Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS. I also brought my iPhone Xs Max, whose two lenses match the range of the Fujifilm GF 32-64mm lens, so I could have left the Fuji 32-64mm lens at home.

Most of the GFX 50R shots were on a tripod so I could shoot at ISO 50 or 100 and stop down, which meant most exposures were about 1/8 of a second even during the day. Everything was shot as a NORMAL JPG, not FINE or SUPER FINE and certainly not in raw (raw is for amateurs who spend more time talking about photography than actually doing it).

Most of these works received significant artistic input in Photoshop CS6 and the Perfectly Clear v.3.7 plugin until they looked as I originally imagined them. For instance, I often add deliberate edge-burning (vignetting) and burning and dodging and split-toning. Photography is a creative art, not an application of rules; you have to know what the picture is going to say and how you want it to look before you take it. Once taken I do whatever I need to until it matches my original vision, and it's on to the next image until I'm done. However I can get them done quicker, the better. See my many articles at How to Take Great Pictures.

 

07 May 2019, Tuesday

I met my friend Dave Wyman in Los Angeles and we headed north.

Bougainvillea, Los Angeles

Bougainvillea, Los Angeles, 9:08 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 64mm, f/22 at 2/3 second at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

Halfway there we stopped in California's fertile Central Valley for groceries.

La Preciosa Market, Delano, California

La Preciosa Market, Delano, California, 12:06 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 32mm, f/22 hand-held at 1/125 at Auto ISO 250, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger or full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

By 4PM we made it to Yosemite, and I was sure to snap this on my iPhone Xs Max from the parking lot as we started to unpack as I was expecting rain all week and realized that this could be the last nice light we saw. You never can "go back" and make a picture again; the light changes from instant to instant so the only way to make a picture of what you see now is to take it now.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls, 4:12.P.M. iPhone Xs Max 6mm tele camera, f/2.4 at 1/773 at Auto ISO 16, Snapseed. bigger.

 

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls, 5:01 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 200mm, f/22 at 1/320 hand-held at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Half Dome in Clouds at Sunset

Half Dome in Clouds at Sunset, Yosemite Valley, 7:04 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 123.8 mm, f/11 at 1/20 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Tree, Yosemite Valley

Tree, Yosemite Valley, 7:04 .P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 100mm, f/11 at 1/2 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

08 May 2019, Wednesday

Railing in heavy mist at the Base of Yosemite Falls

Railing in Heavy Mist at the Base of Yosemite Falls, 7:56 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 189.6mm, f/22 at 1/6 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

El Capitan

El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, 2:45 P.M. iPhone Xs Max 4.2mm wide camera, f/1.8 at 1/1,748 at Auto ISO 25, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

 

Trees in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Trees in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 2:58 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 100mm, f/16 at 1/18 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Fern Springs, Yosemite Valley

Fern Springs, Yosemite Valley, 3:43 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 58.6mm, f/32 at 3 seconds at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Rainbow in Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Valley

Rainbow in Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Valley, 4:15 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 200mm, f/16 at 1/42 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger.

 

Backlit Tree, Yosemite Valley

Backlit Tree, Yosemite Valley, 5:05 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 164.5 mm, f/5.6 at 1/170 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Two Pine Trees on the Banks of the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Two Pine Trees on the Bank of the Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 7:26 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 100mm, f/16 at 2 seconds at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger.

 

Alpenglow, Yosemite Valley

Alpenglow, Yosemite Valley, 7:52 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 200mm, f/11 at 1/6 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger.

 

09 May 2019, Thursday

Yosemite Valley at Sunrise with Fallen Tree in Foreground

Yosemite Valley at Sunrise with Fallen Tree in Foreground, 7:05 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 32mm, f/32 at 1/12 at Dynamic Range 400% at ISO 400, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or awful camera-original © JPG file.

 

Fallen Tree, Yosemite Valley

Fallen Tree, Yosemite Valley, 7:24 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 37.6 mm, f/18 at 1/2 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Three Textures, Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Three Textures, Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 7:40 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 123.8 mm, f/22 at 1/6 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

El Capitan with its Reflection in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

El Capitan with its Reflection in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 8:23 A.M. iPhone Xs Max 4.2mm wide camera, f/1.8 at 1/1,011 at Auto ISO 32, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger.

 

Barn, Yosemite National Park

Barn, Yosemite National Park, 2:53 P.M. iPhone Xs Max 4.2mm wide camera, f/1.8 at 1/121 at Auto ISO 32, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

 

Inside a Barn, Yosemite National Park

Inside a Barn, Yosemite National Park, 3:25 ~ 3:29 P.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 32-64mm at 32mm, f/16 for four minutes at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger or full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

 

The Crazy Crack, Yosemite Valley

The Crazy Crack, Yosemite Valley, 4:43 P.M. iPhone Xs Max 6mm tele camera, f/2.4 at 1/122 at Auto ISO 32, Perfectly Clear v3.7,split-toned print. bigger.

 

10 May 2019, Friday

Flowing Water, Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Flowing Water, Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 8:02 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 100mm, f/16 at one second at ISO 50, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Flowing Water, Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Flowing Water, Merced River, Yosemite Valley, 8:23 A.M. Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujifilm GF 100-200mm f/5.6 OIS at 158.8 mm, f/16 at 1/7 second at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.7, split-toned print. bigger.

 

< < Back to top