Yosemite

[rjfarnworth]

I lived in California for 25 years and this was my first trip to Yosemite...i cant wait to go back this fall! What do you guys think? I know the lighting wasnt exactly perfect but it was a quick trip and i did what i could.
Cheers

 

[NancyMoranG]

I love Yosemite! Nice photos for your trip. Now you know what you are facing and have time to put together your photo ops for next time! As you know, going in spring will get you lots of waterfalls roaring!
Can't wait to go back ther.

 

[rjfarnworth]

I love Yosemite! Nice photos for your trip. Now you know what you are facing and have time to put together your photo ops for next time! As you know, going in spring will get you lots of waterfalls roaring!
Can't wait to go back ther.

Thank you

 

[KmH]

The first photo of Half Dome is from a location not often seen.
The trees frame the Northwest face of half Dome nicely.

The middle shot apparently taken from the end of the tunnel on Wawona Rd is somewhat under exposed.

Some editing to finish the photos would help address the lighting.
Here are some quick and dirty edits

 

[NancyMoranG]

Keith, how did you do that?

 

[rjfarnworth]

Thanks for the re edits! That really makes a difference.

 

[KmH]

Keith, how did you do that?

I opened all 3 photos in Camera Raw (LR Develop module is the same software).

Using the Sharpening panel I added some sharpening - Amount 25, Detail 1.0, Radius 1.5, Threshold, 0.
Also on the Sharpening panel is Noise Reduction. I added a lot of Color noise reduction and a bit of Luminosity noise reduction until it looked right without loosing to much detail.
In the Basic panel I added some Contrast, Clarity, and Vibrance until each looked right, but don't remember the specific values.
I synchronized all the above values to all 3 photos.

In the Basic panel I added 0.75 EV of exposure to the shot up the valley with Half Dome way in the background.

All 3 photos then went to Photoshop.
For the photo I added the 0.75 EV of exposure used the quick selection tool to isolate the far background, consisting of Half Dome and the adjacent hills, and the background right in front of that but behind El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks/Bridal Veil falls. With the selection active I burned (50%) that section to darken it all.

In the shot of Half Dome from the road I burned (25%) Half Dome, the adjacent hills and the landscape to the right of the road.

In the shot of Half Dome from Glacier point I burned Half Dome, the cliffs on the north side of Tenaya Creek and the forest to the left of the cliffs.

Lastly, I added a narrow black border to each photo.

 

[HikinMike]

You did a good job considering the conditions. Now you need to come back when conditions are better. My favorite times are early spring and fall. Sadly, I have yet to visit the park this year.

@Keith - That's the road going to Glacier Point, right before Washburn Point.

 

[KmH]

Hi Bud. Long time.
I figured it had to be along there somewhere.

Ya'll - HikinMike makes sweet images of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and he has posted a bunch of them here on TPF.
It's worth checking them out if that's the type of photos you like to make.

I didn't often get to that part of the Valley.
I've got film photos/negatives looking back at Glacier Point from a climbing route on Half Dome called 'Snake Dike' there on the west face in that last of these 3 photos..
My climbing partner and I were laughing about taking photos of people taking photos of Half Dome, with us knowing we would be way to small to be noticed on that wall facing their cameras.

 

[Sarmad]

Beautiful shots, if the last one was a little more 'simpler', it would have been so good.