Yosemite photos

[dshombert]

<p>As promised, I've finally posted some of my favorite shots from the Yosemite trip in my PNet portfolio. Comments welcomed. Thanks again to all on this forum who helped me with advice and encouragement; I have an awful lot to learn, and I've gotten more help here than anyplace else.<br>

A couple of observations:<br>

I carried the K-x, the 15mm, 35mm, and 55-300mm lenses, plus a small Slik CF tripod, all in a small sling bag. The farthest we walked in one stretch was up to the Mariposa Grove and back, about six miles, and I never got tired of carrying the pack. I saw many, many photographers with great big heavy Canikons and humongous tripods, and quite a few of them asked about my gear with envy in their eyes. I'm certain that I found more opportunities and took more photos than I would have if I had been hauling one of those big rigs around.<br>

I took the four-hour class with a staff photographer that is offered by the Ansel Adams studio in the park. It cost $95 and I already knew a fair amount of what she covered, but when I compare the photos from before and after the class, I think it was worth it. I got some new technical skills and she took us to several places that I would probably not have discovered on my own.<br>

May is definitely the time to go there. It snowed the first morning we were there, but quickly got into the 70s. A ranger told me that it's congested to the point of gridlock later in the summer, and the waterfalls aren't running nearly as much then. I didn't see much wildlife - one coyote, many deer - but aside from that, the place is heaven for a nature photographer.<br>

Thanks again to all who helped.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>Quick access to Dave's portfolio can be found here:<br /> <a href="../photodb/folder?folder_id=969358">

<h1>Yosemite photos</h1>

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<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/11163787-lg.jpg" alt="" width="465" height="700" /></p>

<p>This is one is among my favorites, largely because I like to hide/frame waterfalls behind trees, rocks, mist, foliage, etc and this does just that along with great composition throughout the frame. As a side note, it actually still looks pretty good if you crop it above the people in the frame!</p>

<p>I agree, if you are exploring around you will definitely do better with less/lighter gear, and you'll have more fun. Looks like you had a great trip, and the kit you ended up carrying seems pretty much perfect.</p>

[bob-c]

<p>Dave, great stuff! Congratulations. That must have been a wonderful experience. It's hard to pick a favorite, although the one Justin chose as well as the Road to Vernal Falls stand out for me. How long were you there? Thanks!</p>

[russel_yee]

<p>Dave, some really nice photo's, thanks for posting. I think you're right that the earlier you go the better. Seems like the hotter it is, the more hazy it gets out there. </p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>Nice stuff, Dave!<br>

Did you find yourself using one of the lenses more than the others?</p>

[shots worth sharing]

<p>I'm just getting to these--nice work, Dave! I sure hope I can get back there some day--with a real camera.</p>

[dshombert]

<p>Robert - we were there a week. That was plenty of time to explore the valley floor and make it up to the Mariposa Grove. There's a lot that we never saw, partly because we were staying outside the park in El Portal, which is west. We planned the trip too late to get lodging in the park; that would have been better and we might have seen more of the eastern side of it. But we saw plenty. I thought seriously about the hike up to the top of Half Dome, but it's a 10 to 12 hour commitment and I wasn't sure my 68 year old legs were up to it. That's something that you clearly would not want to embark on and find out, halfway there, that you couldn't do it. The last part of it involves pulling yourself up by guide-wire railings.</p>

<p>Matt - Looking back through the photos, it seems I used them about equally. There's pretty much every conceivable shooting situation in Yosemite. I think my kit had me pretty well prepared, it covered everything I wanted to do. I saw one coyote at a distance, and I would have liked then to have had more reach than the 55-300, but other than that I was fine with what I had.</p>

<p>I actually had one other lens with me, the FA 28-105 (the 3.2-4.5 version). I took that along to use on the rest of the trip, for the times when we were just doing the tourist thing and I wanted to carry only the camera and one lens. It worked great for that with the K-x, I found that to be an almost ideal combo for walking around. But I did use that lens a couple of times in the park, and the quality of those shots reminded me of what a great lens it is optically.</p>