Back in January, on the same day that I gave my notice to my manager, a Meetup email appeared in my inbox with details on a photography workshop weekend in Yosemite. Being in the say-yes-to-life mood, I immediately RSVP'ed, paid my $150 deposit, and started making accommodations at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal (just outside the park).
The trip took place over all three days of Presidents' Day weekend and was led by Christine Krieg, a local photographer. There were only seven students, so the workshop had a nimble and personalized feel to it.
Saturday morning, we all carpooled from the city at dawn and arrived at Yosemite around 11:00. During the day, we hopped around to various scenic spots in the valley including Tunnel View, Valley View, and the Yosemite Cemetery.
The day, like all of the days during the trip, ended with a nice group dinner and a very early bedtime, as we all had to be on the road well before sunrise the next day. Sunday morning, we went to Cathedral Beach to get some shots of the early morning sun hitting El Capitan, followed by an excellent (though pricey) brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel and a gentle hike up to Mirror Lake.
In the evening, along with hundreds of other photographers, we made our way to a clearing to capture the Horsetail Falls firefall, which can be seen for only a couple weeks out of the entire year. The firefall effect is a combination of the rock formation of the falls, flowing water, and the angle at which the sun hits the falls in the evening. There wasn't much moisture on the falls, so the overall effect wasn't as fiery or lava-like as I've seen in other photos, but the photo actually came out nicer than I thought it would:
Monday morning, we went to the Swinging Bridge for some more sunrise reflection photos and standing around in the cold, since we clearly hadn't gotten enough of that already. The rest of the day we visited Yosemite Falls, the barns (which appear to exist solely for the purpose of photographers), and Crane Flat.
By late afternoon on Monday, the group started to disband and everyone hit the road a bit earlier than scheduled to minimize the pain of a long drive back home and impending work the next day. I made it back to the city at a quite respectable time in the evening after indulging myself with the obligatory California road trip stop at In-N-Out.
The weekend was long, at times very tiring, at other times very cold, and definitely harmful to my customary sleep cycle, but I'm very happy with the shots that came out of it. Christine was very helpful in realizing the potential of reflection shots, which I now feel much more comfortable incorporating into my usual work. Contrary to what most Yosemite visitors like to see and photograph, most of my shots were details, not landscapes, but I still feel like I got a lot out of the workshop.
Full photo album: Yosemite Photography Workshop
The trip took place over all three days of Presidents' Day weekend and was led by Christine Krieg, a local photographer. There were only seven students, so the workshop had a nimble and personalized feel to it.
Saturday morning, we all carpooled from the city at dawn and arrived at Yosemite around 11:00. During the day, we hopped around to various scenic spots in the valley including Tunnel View, Valley View, and the Yosemite Cemetery.
The day, like all of the days during the trip, ended with a nice group dinner and a very early bedtime, as we all had to be on the road well before sunrise the next day. Sunday morning, we went to Cathedral Beach to get some shots of the early morning sun hitting El Capitan, followed by an excellent (though pricey) brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel and a gentle hike up to Mirror Lake.
In the evening, along with hundreds of other photographers, we made our way to a clearing to capture the Horsetail Falls firefall, which can be seen for only a couple weeks out of the entire year. The firefall effect is a combination of the rock formation of the falls, flowing water, and the angle at which the sun hits the falls in the evening. There wasn't much moisture on the falls, so the overall effect wasn't as fiery or lava-like as I've seen in other photos, but the photo actually came out nicer than I thought it would:
Monday morning, we went to the Swinging Bridge for some more sunrise reflection photos and standing around in the cold, since we clearly hadn't gotten enough of that already. The rest of the day we visited Yosemite Falls, the barns (which appear to exist solely for the purpose of photographers), and Crane Flat.
By late afternoon on Monday, the group started to disband and everyone hit the road a bit earlier than scheduled to minimize the pain of a long drive back home and impending work the next day. I made it back to the city at a quite respectable time in the evening after indulging myself with the obligatory California road trip stop at In-N-Out.
The weekend was long, at times very tiring, at other times very cold, and definitely harmful to my customary sleep cycle, but I'm very happy with the shots that came out of it. Christine was very helpful in realizing the potential of reflection shots, which I now feel much more comfortable incorporating into my usual work. Contrary to what most Yosemite visitors like to see and photograph, most of my shots were details, not landscapes, but I still feel like I got a lot out of the workshop.
Full photo album: Yosemite Photography Workshop
