The Absolute Beauty of Yosemite

This week we are showing some details of Yosemite, different from the more common scenes of Half Dome and El Capitan. My husband Dave took the photo above early in the morning, during low light, so he could slow the shutter speed in order to blur the rushing water of the river as a background for the dogwood branch and flower.
Mirror Lake is in the process of turning in to a meadow. The reflections in this scene will disappear in future years.
This is another of Dave's slow-shutter, early morning photos to show the rushing waters of the Merced River. A tripod, of course, is required for shots like this.
We went up to Glacier Point to get photos of Half Dome, but the clouds blanketing the High Sierra as sunset were another attractive subject for our cameras. We were there at the beginning of June, and there was still lots of snow on the ground.
Wildlife is part of the attraction of National Parks. We enjoyed watching a mother bear and her cubs while we were on a hike in the Hetch Hetchy Valley. We were careful, of course, not get too close and not to get between the mother and her cubs.

The Details of Yosemite National Park

National Parks such as Yosemite are known for their landmarks and grandeur, but they have subtle beauty as well. Here is a photo of a moss-covered boulder on the side of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. My husband and I like to experiment with river photos that blur the water to show its movement, an effect achieved by slowing the shutter speed to 1/15th or below.
This scene is part of the path through the forest on a hike to Mirror Lake. There is an excellent shuttle bus system to take visitors to the trailhead up the valley from the main visitor facilities.
No visit or group of photos of Yosemite would be complete without a view of Half Dome, 4,737 ft. (1,444 m.) above the valley floor. The changing light and variable clouds make it a challenging and enticing subject for photos in any weather.
This is the bark of a tree. It looks like a topographical map. One of the benefits of photography is how it makes us so much more observant and appreciative of the details of nature. Without a camera, we might hike right on past, scarcely noticing these details.
My husband and I visited Yosemite during the recent Memorial Day holiday week. Lupine and other wildflowers were in bloom, to the delight of the bees, who thankfully were more interested in the flowers than they were in us.

The Splendor of Yosemite National Park

Dave and I visited Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains during the recent Memorial Day holiday. We saw bears about a half dozen times during our 5 days in the park. This mother bear was foraging for food with her two cubs. She did not seem to mind our taking photos of her, although we kept a safe distance and did not move towards her cubs.
Yosemite Valley has classic views of the granite walls carved by glaciers. This is half dome, viewed from the valley. The valley is where most vistors stay and visit, but it comprises only 1%of the land area of the park.
Yosemite has giant sequoia trees, which are the largest trees, by volume, on earth. It has deep pine and redwood forests as well, as you see in this photo.
These leaves were nestled near the base of a tree, ready to start the next generation. Of the 7,000 plant species in California, half are found in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and 20% grow within Yosemite National Park.
We went up to Glacier Point to get sunset photos, and this view of Half Dome was taken with a long exposure after sunset. Clouds formed around Half Dome intermittently, adding to is allure. Glacier Point is 3,200 ft (980 m) above the valley floor. Yosemite was set aside for preservation by an act of Congress in 1864, which served as a model for the law that created Yellowstone as the first National Park in 1872.