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