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People have been photographing Yosemite since 1859, when Charles Weed took the first salt print photo of Yosemite Fall. Since then, artists like Carlton Watkins, Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, to name a few, have been photographing the Yosemite Valley and High Sierra, all the while traveling to many meadows, peaks, river banks and vistas. On this tour, we will visit some of those vistas that established these artists as the great landscape photographers of their time, and which helped transform the American environmental movement.

This tour is appropriate for those shooting either black and white, or color photography, and will focus on a select number of locations from which these icons photographed Yosemite Valley. The tour will begin in the afternoon at the Church Bowl parking lot and picnic area -- where Adams shot two famous images-- and will conclude at Inspiration Point on the Wawona Road which can offer epic sunset opportunities. This tour will consist of discussions concerning depth of field, hyperfocal distance, exposure techniques, metering, the zone system, white balance, and composition. A generous portion of the discussion -- in conjunction with the aforementioned topics -- will be devoted to talking about the artists, their philosophies, histories and their eye for photography.

Type of Tour: Specialty Photo Session
Price: $250 per person

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After the Winter snows have given way to the warm days of Summer, the High Sierra affords a romantic grandeur to those who would partake.  Granite domes and jagged peaks soar above the solemn observer, meadows bear numerous wildflowers while serving as centers for wildlife activity, and lakes of varying breadth deliberate on light of equally varying magnitude.  Like Yosemite Valley , the High Sierra has lured many a photographer, captivating them, and inspiring a greater enlightenment.

On this tour, we will visit a select number of locations that will encapsulate the greater High Sierra.  We will begin at Olmstead Point, a favorite site of many photographers from Edward Weston and Ansel Adams to contemporary professionals.  From there, we will travel to Tenaya Lake to explore its granite shores, erratic boulders, stunted trees and majestic reflections.  Afterwards, the tour will continue on to Tuolumne Meadows, where several different stops will yield views of the meadows, Mt. Dana , the Cathedral Range , the Tuolumne River , Lembert Dome, as well as many more landmarks.  If conditions permit, evening alpenglow will blanket the Sierra crest and provide us with a vibrant, luminous scene even after the sun has dropped below the horizon.  Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, exposure techniques, metering, the zone system, white balance and composition.

Type of Tour: Specialty Photo Session
Price: $250 per person

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The Tuolumne River starts at the base of the highest peaks in Yosemite, and meanders its way through High Sierra meadows before plunging down into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Hetch Hetchy Valley.  The river traverses an immaculate landscape within a short distance in the Tuolumne Meadows, providing ample opportunity to photograph meadows, wildflowers, cascades, pools and sublime granite formations.

This tour will begin and end at the Lembert Dome parking lot and will cover a multiple mile stretch of the Tuolumne River as it courses it way through the meadows.  The river itself, coupled with nearby subtle trees and the sculpted and polished rocks on it’s shores, provide a visually stimulating, contrasting accent to the ridged, gnarled peaks of the Cathedral Range .  We will make several stops along the rivers edge, taking time to consider how to utilize foreground and background information, in the hopes of molding all into a visual whole.  This tour will begin around two in the afternoon and end at dusk when the luminous alpinglow blankets the meadows and surrounding peaks.   The entire route is relatively flat, but will traverse country above 8000 feet in elevation.  Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, exposure techniques, metering, the zone system, white balance and composition.

Type of Tour: Specialty Photo Session
Price: $250 per person

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The Tuolumne River starts at the base of the highest peaks in Yosemite, and meanders its way through High Sierra meadows before plunging down into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Hetch Hetchy Valley.  The river traverses an immaculate landscape within a short distance in the Tuolumne Meadows, providing ample opportunity to photograph meadows, wildflowers, cascades, pools and sublime granite formations.

This tour will begin and end at the Pothole Dome parking lot at the far Western end of Tuolumne Meadows.  We will walk along the base of the dome to where the river leaves the meadows and begins its journey towards the Grand Canyon .  From this vantage point, the meadows, river and peaks create a stunning visual amalgam that would leave even the most seasoned landscape photographer in awe.  Our tour will continue over granite slabs and along the river, passing numerous cascades of varying amplitude, providing a chance to play around with shutter and film speeds.  Continuing along, we will travel through more meadows, cross streams, visit ponds usually bustling with animal activity, and explore the geologic anomaly known as Little Devil’s Postpile.  The terminus of the tour will be Tuolumne Fall -- a union of turbulent water and gentle rock formations -- two-and-a-half miles from our beginning.  This tour will begin at noon and end near dusk, and is designed for the more adventurous photographer willing to venture beyond the well trodden trail.  This trip will be strenuous, as we will cover territory between 7000 and 8000 feet in elevation, while parts of the trail will be steep and overgrown.  The exact path and distance to be covered will vary depending on the time of year as water levels early in the season can make parts of the trail impassable.  Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, exposure techniques, metering, the zone system, white balance and composition.

Type of Tour: Specialty Photo Session
Price: $250 per person

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YOSEMITE MIRROR LAKE & HAPPY ISLES in SPRING PHOTOGRAHY SESSION
with Evan Russel

2008 Dates: Tuesdays in March through June

Join the photographer on a walk up Tenaya Canyon, around Mirror Lake and over to Happy Isles where elegant compositions abound. The early morning, and afternoon light in the Tenaya and Merced Canyons is luminous and tranquil, especially in Spring. During the season, melting winter snows turn Tenaya Creek and the Merced River into a cascading torrents, the Mountain Dogwood blooms in abundance, the marshy meadows attract diverse wildlife, and the granite cliffs of the canyons are luminous -- even at the extremes of the day. These low light situations are advantageous for the slower shutter speeds on the camera -- so bring a tripod -- and results can be stunning.

This tour is appropriate for those practicing both black and white, and color photography. To take advantage of the crisp morning light, this tour will start at seven in the morning at the Mirror Lake shuttle bus stop (#17), and will end at the Happy Isles bus stop (#16). We will proceed up the Mirror Lake road to a historic shore vista of the lake and towering Mount Watkins -- made famous by generations of photographers including Ansel Adams. From there, the tour will continue along the Northwest side of Tenaya Creek towards little known Hidden Falls, near the base of Cloud’s Rest, and will return to Mirror Lake along the Southeast side of the creek. The tour will make many stops along the way to photograph the elegant Mountain Dogwood tree, resplendent granite boulders, Half Dome and the resplendent Tenaya Creek. The tour will then proceed down the trail towards they Happy Isles interpretive center where a loop trail will take us around picturesque islands in the middle of the Merced River. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, exposure techniques, metering, the zone system, white balance and composition.

Type of Tour: Specialty Photo Session
Price: $250 per person

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