Valley View (HDR)

Valley View - Yosemite  2013

As Mike was preparing to leave the valley, he realized, with a sigh, that he needed to take some bracketed photos for his ongoing experiments with HDR. Conditions were right: very bright clouds with much darker foreground.

Of course, the final result looks like a standard postcard view . . . true. But there's no blown highlights!

Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake - Yosemite  2013

It's been a while since Mike has made the relatively short hike up to Mirror Lake. There were some nice reflections in May; Mirror Lake has a tendency to dry out during the summer.

Tenaya Creek

Dogwood, Tenaya Creek - Yosemite  2013

Tenaya Creek - Yosemite  2013

Mike took a little hike along Tenaya Creek up to Mirror Lake. Very loud! He experimented using a slow shutter speed handheld, trying for that blurred water effect. Upper shot taken at 1/15th second. He took an earlier photo from the same spot in 1991.

Dogwoods, Ahwanhee Lodge

Dogwood Blossoms Against Sky - Yosemite  2013

Dogwood Blossoms, Ahwanhee Hotel - Yosemite  2013

There are always dogwoods to be found near the Ahwanhee Hotel, most likely planted there some time ago. Mike wouldn't mind staying at the Ahwanhee some time. Pricey, though.

Yosemite Falls, Upper, Lower

Yosemite Falls - Yosemite  2013

Tree, Mist - Yosemite  2013

There's a spot on the road going into the valley - near the chapel - where one can get a glimpse of both upper and lower Yosemite Falls. Today, there was a thin layer of mist to add to the view. Also, the fog lent a nice sense of isolation to this tree.

Yosemite Fall, Merced River

Yosemite Fall, Merced River (Morning Mist) - Yosemite  2013

Mike returned the following day to the Swinging Bridge. As could be expected, the scene was completely different. The sky was clearing with just a light speckling of clouds; below, morning mist lent an ethereal quality to the landscape.

Monday Coyote Blogging

Coyote - Yosemite  2013

This fellow was waiting by the side of the Glacier Point road, obviously looking for a handout. After the car in front of me stopped he nonchalantly ambled over to the other side of the road and sat down near a snowbank. I rolled down my window, reached over and grabbed my Canon G12 and took this photo.

No handouts from us, but he looked fairly well-fed. Maybe the next car!

Yosemite Flowers

Flowers #1 - Yosemite  2013

Flowers #2 - Yosemite  2013

I spent some time - not a lot of time, to be sure - trying to identify these plants. But I couldn't.

However, as a unexpected reward, I did come across the web site Stylishlyme.

Stylishlyme shares the mikereport's fondness for Point Lobos and Yosemite! And sequoias!

Glacier Point - 3: FritoLay in the Mist

FritoLay Truck (Glacier Point) - Yosemite  2013

People (Glacier Point) - Yosemite  2013

Mike struggled to keep his bearings in the extremely reduced visibility. At one point, the world contracted into a blank whiteness with nothing to be seen. Luckily, there finally came into sight a Fritolay delivery truck blocking the trail. Thank goodness!

Glacier Point - 2

Spruce, Cloud Cover (Glacier Point) - Yosemite  2013

Pine Trees (Glacier Point) - Yosemite  2013

Once at Glacier Point the cloud layer remained solidly in place. It helped out with composition, though, revealing, then hiding the various elements of the landscape.

Quite a contrast between this visit and last year's.

Glacier Point - 1

Three Trees (Glacier Point) - Yosemite  2013

Glacier Point Road - Yosemite  2013

In the afternoon Mike drove up the Glacier Point road eventually reaching an incredibly dense cloud layer. Cold, too. Visibility shrunk to a matter of a few feet, then opened up, then shut down again.

Dogwood Blossoms, Rain

Dogwood Blossoms, Rain - Yosemite  2013

Mike got somewhat wet slogging through the forest, but it was worth it: dogwood blossoms and raindrops! Wow!

Dogwood

Dogwood & Pines - Yosemite  2013

Mike's search for the elusive dogwood took him in a loop to the Pohono Bridge at the entrance to the valley. He did find dogwood blossoms there, probably the last of the season. After parking the truck he scrambled around trying to line up the equally elusive dogwood photo.

Monday Robin Blogging

Robin - Yosemite  2013

As Mike was trying without success to line up some trees into an orderly composition this bird was keeping himself very busy, probably having more luck.

Campsite, El Portal

Merced River - Sierra Nevada  2013

Campsite (Dry Gulch) - Sierra Nevada  2013

Mike's campsite was at the "Dry Gulch" Forest Service camp near El Portal. Doesn't sound all that attractive, but actually quite nice. Basically, a walk-in style camp, where you park up above and bring your stuff down. Right alongside the Merced River: plenty of white noise during the night.

Fritos and Beer / Ribeye: The Way of the Geezer

Fritos and Beer - Yosemite  2013

Ribeye BBQ - Yosemite  2013

A completely staged Fritos and beer shot. There were some Fritos left in the bag, to be sure, but the beer can was empty. No matter, I needed a Fritos and beer photo!

The Fritos were served later with a small ribeye and a sliced apple. And some red wine. Yum!

Here's a link to the first Fritos and beer photo taken in 1994.

Yosemite Fall, Merced River

Upper Yosemite Fall, Merced River - Yosemite  2013

Mike decided not to wait at the viewpoint, reasoning that the scene wasn't going to get any better. In fact, the sun was trying to break through causing very bright spots in the cloud cover. Instead he got back in his truck and drove down through the valley to the "Swinging Bridge" for the Yosemite Fall view. He was rewarded by some swirling clouds and dramatic reflections.

There were two photographers already at the bridge with, of course, large DSLRs and tripods.

Yosemite View

Spring Storm - Yosemite  2013

Famous iconic view. Mike felt a little out of place, tiptoeing around with his small Olympus amidst the intimidating bulky Canons and Nikons. Oh well!

Overall, the scene was somewhat subdued, certainly not as dramatic as Adams' 1937 winter photo taken from the same spot.

Yosemite Photographers

Photographers - Yosemite  2013

Photographers - Yosemite  1991

The sound of rain on the tent has always seemed quite restful. At Mike's campsite near El Portal it rained during the night but stopped by morning. He got up around 5:15 AM, made coffee, performed his ablutions and set off in the truck, driving from El Portal to the famous Tunnel View. As he expected, the view point was already populated with photographers with their large Canon and Nikon DSLRs screwed tightly onto tripods, tweaking and retweaking their camera settings.

Much the same as Mike found it in 1991! Only then the cameras of choice were medium-format and 4x5 view cameras.

Tiny Bear Box

Small Bear Box - El Portal  2013

I guess that this is a Forest Service bear box. It was OK for me, actually, that is to say, a one person camp. But I don't know . . . for a family? Wouldn't work.

Contrast this one to the one I had at the National Park Service's White Wolf campground.

Monday Woodpecker Blogging

Woodpecker - Sierra Nevada  2013

Taken at my campsite in El Portal, near the entrance to Yosemite.

I'm thinking, an Acorn woodpecker, right? He kept returning to the same branch after ranging out and above the Merced River. So, are woodpeckers able to snag insects phoebe-like in flight? My book doesn't say.

Weathered Wood, West Marin

Loppers, Ball - Marin County  2013

Wooden Post & Wall - Point Reyes  2013

- Loppers and ball at an old ranch building in Bolinas. Yes, I arranged this a little bit.

- Wooden post and wall at the visitor center near the Point Reyes lighthouse.

Beer

Needs A Beer - Marin County  2013

Yes.

Gates

Gate - Los Angeles  2013

Gate - Monterey  2013

Top, in Los Angeles, at Pat & Joe's house.

Bottom, in Monterey, during an afternoon walk.

San Francisco Sightems 2006

Holy Family - San Francisco  2006

Gandhi & Photographers - San Francisco  2006

Top photo taken near Fishermans Wharf.

Earlier shot of Gandhi with the Wienermobile.

San Francisco Sightems 2005

Sansome Dental - San Francisco 2005

KTV - San Francisco  2005

Sansome Dental!

KTV!

Both photos taken as JPGs using an Olympus C8080. I expect I used the flip-up LCD for each image.

San Francisco Mannequins 1996

Mannequins - San Francisco  1996

I scanned this from an Ilford Galerie print I had made in 1996: much easier than digging around and scanning the actual negative. You can see the reflections of the Britex Fabric store in the store window, so that means I was on Geary Street, scene of some recent pix.

Monday Turkey Blogging

Turkey - Marin County  2013

. . . special kind of "heritage" turkey being solicitously raised at a secluded ranch in Bolinas. This was the biggest one.

Point Lobos Trees & Plants

Cypress Forest - Point Lobos  2013

Lichen, Ceanothus, Poison Oak - Point Lobos  2013

Most time I try to avoid patches of sky coming though the overhead forest. But here it seemed to work out OK.

Bottom photo taken while standing on a picnic table, giving me that wideangle viewpoint.

San Anselmo Sightems

Flower Outlives - San Anselmo  2013

Geraniums, Toys - San Anselmo  2013

A flower theme. Note camera held high overhead for that totally exquisite angle. Also: same windows appeared in an earlier shot.