Glacier Point Yosemite National Park

Glacier Point Yosemite National Park.

Glacier Point is a incredible view far above the Yosemite Valley. From the vantage point you will see Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls as well as Half Dome. On the left side of half dome you can see the valley as it runs to the north to Olmstead Point. If you are there in late May into June you can drive the Tioga Road which is hwy 120 that will take you to Olmstead Point. I stayed there tell 3am in morning hours shooting a time lapse video and the night view with full moon is breath taking. You may be visited by a coyote who is roaming around. As I stood guard over my Canon T3i and Canon 5d Mark ii a couple other photographers would stop by and take a few images then speed off into the dark of night. It is very relaxing in the middle of the night to hear the water falls as the water crashes to the bottom.

As morning was approaching I decided to load up and head to swinging bridge and shot sunrise as well as a time lapse of the morning appearing to welcome visitors to this amazing park. There is a bridge at the pullout area for swinging bridge you can park and then walk down to. The bridge crosses over the Merced River and as you cross take the time to stop and watch in the water for Huge Trout swimming by. As morning rises there is a field off to the right as you look at Upper Yosemite Falls. Both mornings I was there I was treated to deer wondering around in the filed. 

                                                                         

                                                                        Sunrise 

Moonbow Upper Yosemite Falls

Yosemite National Park.

About a month ago I changed my vacation to a week later so it would fall the same week as the full moon. I had done some research of Moonbows. My search lead me to @ Donald W. Olson from Texas State edu who had done the predictions for May 2013. The prediction gives you the time and date and where in the park you need to be set up to capture this amazing view. Very few can see the moonbow with the naked eye but with a long exposure you can capture it. A fellow photographer friend of mine Brain did not know of this event and was planning a trip to the park at the same time I was there. I have to tell you it was a blast shooting with someone I knew from my home state of Arizona. He was able to capture the moonbow as well. For the image i used a Canon t3i and canon 24-105 l lens. My original plan was to shoot a time lapse of the event but my Mark ii lost all electronics and had to brake down the t3i which was set up with a 14mm Canon lens. Once that was done we set up on the Sentinel Bridge and locked our remote and fired away. We did change a few locations as the moon got higher in the sky and the moonbow got lower to earth. One spot that I had in mind to do a time lapse really worked out to be a perfect spot. There is a Chapel just south of the bridge and I had this vision in my head, So I took my Canon t3i and Slick tripod and headed off to the darkness under the big pines and this is the image that I was able to capture. 

Chapel at Yosemite Park 

The equipment I used .

 Canon t3i

Canon 24-105

Canon 14mm

Slick Pro 700dx tripod

@Yosemite National Park and the Valley area will just take your breath away. As you enter the valley its self, you are welcomed with towering Pine Trees as well as Sequoia Trees making a canopy high above you. I meant to stop and shot some images but I was so struck by the feeling while driving that I just kept driving loving the feeling and the view.