Beginning to Look a Lot Like....

As I'm going through these photos nearly 4 years after taking this photo it's interesting to see how much has changed (and how much hasn't). My first winter storm in Yosemite was in 2014 and we had nearly the entire park to ourselves. 3 years later, when I took this photo, it was still pretty empty in 2017. Now a days, in 2021, if there's snow in Yosemite Valley, it's packed with photographers. Willie and I planned a weekend photo trip with a night at the Yosemite Lodge that coincided with winter storm Leo. We managed to sneak into the park while the roads were still drivable and arrived with over a foot of snow in Yosemite Valley. It was still snowing when we arrived and everything was blanketed in white. We hadn't planned on photographing the Yosemite Church but as we pulled up to Yosemite Falls and noticed all the snow around the church we had to stop. What made it even more magical was how hard the snow started to come down. Using a slightly slow shutter speed made gave the snow some motion that enhanced the snowy cold mood. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8: 40mm, f/0, 1/20 sec, ISO 100

Frozen Blanket

Winter Storm Leo dropped over a foot of snow in Yosemite Valley in 2017 and Willie and I snuck into Yosemite National Park while the roads were still passable. It was still snowing when we arrived and we knew as soon as the storm passed the snow would melt off the trees fast. We wanted to take advantage of the snowstorm and hunted snowy scenes. We found ourselves in the valley looking towards Yosemite Falls and couldn't help but notice how serene it was. Huge mountain walls serving as a backdrop for frozen trees blanketed in snow. As we walked around the snow started to pick up and fall faster. I was drawn to this dichotomy between mountain and forest here, all bathed in a blanket of white snow. The multiple layers: white snow on the ground, frozen leafy trees in front, followed by pines poking above, and then the mountains entrapping everything. I experimented with different shutter speeds to try to capture the peace and serenity of the falling snow, settling here for a slightly longer shutter speed to show some motion in the falling snow. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8: 62mm, f/10, ISO 100, 1/80 sec

Winter Hats

Willie and I arrived in Yosemite just as winter storm Leo was wrapping up dumping over a foot of snow into Yosemite Valley. It was still snowing when we arrived and we made sure to take advantage of the snow to look for something different for our portfolio. Previously we had photographed the clearing winter storms -- Yosemite bathed in snow, but with skies turning blue and light entering the park. While we hoped the capture the clearing storm, we also wanted that shadowy, cold but peaceful look while it was still snowing. When you enter Yosemite Valley you're put into a giant one-way loop. You enter the valley, get to the Yosemite Village, and then can head back out (or to a number of destinations). While doing a lap around the valley we found ourselves exploring the meadow outside of Yosemite Falls. The Merced River was mostly just a stream and the foot of snow had landed on top of the rocks, making little hats dotting the river. I think we spent nearly 45 minutes trying to figure out the best way to photograph the snowcats and this was one of my favorite of the scenes. The river, following by beautifully snowy trees, with a mountainous backdrop to remind us we were in the mountains. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8: 38mm, f/13, 1/100 sec, ISO 100

Dressed in White

I've visited Yosemite National Park every year since moving to California in 2006 but most of my trips were summer trips. We'd arrive to all the waterfalls, hike beautiful trails, take lots of pictures, and head home. In the winter we typically stayed away. My first winter visit was in 2014 just as a snow storm cleared out of the park and it was amazing to see how it transforms and changes when bathed in white. Willie and I returned in 2017 when a storm dumped a foot of snow in Yosemite Valley. It was still snowing when we arrived and we made sure to capture a number of scenes as the snow continued to fall. Looking at the satellites we knew, however, that the storm was going to break up soon, and we wanted to be at Valley View to witness the storm break from the iconic spot. Unfortunately there was still so much snow in the park that the road to Tunnel View was still closed. No problem, we had a backup plan. We parked at Bridalveil Falls and decided to walk the ~mile to Valley View instead. I hoped we'd be the only ones there, we arrived to find another photographer already there. So the 3 of us enjoyed the views as the storm started to break up and bath the valley in light. As light started to filter into the valley I loved how it started hitting the peaks above Bridalveil falls while the peaks behind it were still shadowed in cloud and mist. I zoomed into the falls to capture the combination of snow, shadow, and light. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8: 62mm, f/11, 1/250 sec, ISO 100

She Retreats

Tunnel View is the classic Yosemite viewpoint. From the perch above you look out onto El Captain, Half Dome, Cathedral Peaks, Bridelveil Falls and many more views. When Willie and I first visited Yosemite in the winter of 2014 we were mesmerized by how the clearing storm looked from this perch. So naturally we wanted to witness this storm clear from our perch at Tunnel View. It was still snowing as we arrived in Yosemite and the road to Tunnel View was still closed. We debated whether to keep exploring the valley, or to park at Bridalveil and walk up to Tunnel View on foot. Looking at the radar it looked like the storm might breakup soon so we made the decision to trudge up the ~mile on foot. Packed with micro-spikes we carefully made our way up the unplowed road to Tunnel View, to find we weren't the only ones there. When we arrived the storm was still socking in the entire valley. You could barely see 20 feet in front, though we knew beautiful mountains were hidden behind. To keep warm I made little "paths" in the snow, tracing over my steps over and over again until the ~1.5 foot of snow was easy to walk through. We made a snowman (which we saw photos of on Instagram as much as a week later). And then the storm began to breakup and our cameras began firing. The one thing I knew I wanted in the photo was Half Dome. It was the last little bit of the valley to peak out from the storm and we had to be patient for it to happen. Thankfully enough of the storm stuck around to bath parts of the valley peaks in light and others in shadow. With everything covered in a foot of snow it takes on this alternate look -- green trees completely white, brown granite rock turned white and blue. And just a bit of light hit El Capitan to give it an orangey glow. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8: 28mm, f/13, 1/125 sec, ISO 100