Yosemite

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Milky Way over Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

I recently made the hike to the summit of Half Dome. It's a grueling 16-mile hike with 5000' of elevation gain so I left my heavy camera home on that day. However, I chose to time my hike on the perfect night for astrophotography in Yosemite National Park, so I…

Phil CollaJuly 15, 2021

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Cathedral Peak and Upper Cathedral Lake at Sunset, Yosemite National Park

Cathedral Peak rising above Upper Cathedral Lake is one of the most beautiful views in all of Yosemite National Park. From the trailhead to the point on the promontory above Upper Cathedral Lake where I shot this photo is about a 9 mile round trip hike. I made it most…

Phil CollaMay 9, 2021

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Serenity Now: Yosemite’s Quietest Summer?

I recently spent four days hiking in Yosemite National Park. It was strange to be in Yosemite after being cooped up at home for four months, but Yosemite with no crowds is a gift at anytime of the year and I took advantage of it. Alone. Following are some of…

Phil CollaJuly 6, 2020

California National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Yosemite Valley in Spring, May 2018

I try to get into Yosemite Valley each Spring, usually in May since that is when Yosemite's waterfalls are at their most impressive. This year I spent a couple days photographing and hiking in early May. The dogwood bloom was peaking and, while I am not a wildflower photographer, I…

Phil CollaJune 24, 2018

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Dusk on Vogelsang Peak, Yosemite National Park, California

The last time I stayed at Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, my dad and I took the Rafferty Canyon trail and arrived about 3pm. For some reason I still had some energy so I took off and tried for the summit of Vogelsang Peak, arriving just shortly before sunset. The view…

Phil CollaJune 24, 2014

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Townsley Lake and Cathedral Range at Sunrise, Yosemite National Park

One of my favorite lakes in the Sierra Nevada is Townsley Lake, located a bit above and not far from the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park. Every time I stay at Vogelsang I make sure to spend at least one sunrise at Townsley, where I have always…

Phil CollaJune 23, 2014

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Lembert Dome Sunset, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

Nice pastel light hits the clouds and lights up Lembert Dome rising above Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, California. An easy hike takes one to the top of Lembert Dome for expansive views of Tuolumne Meadows and the high Sierra Nevada around the eastern side of Yosemite National Park.…

Phil CollaJune 22, 2014

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Perseid Meteor Shower, Milky Way, Half Dome and Yosemite National Park

Perseid Meteor Shower, Milky Way, Half Dome and Yosemite National Park I spent two evenings at Glacier Point during the peak of the 2013 Perseid Meteor Shower, hoping to capture my first photographs of meteors. I have a few landscape astrophotography images that have chance meteors recorded in them, but…

Phil CollaAugust 14, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Zodiacal Light, Milky Way and Jupiter over Yosemite National Park

Photographing Zodiacal Light over Yosemite National Park August 11-12 was near peak viewing for the 2013 Perseid meteor shower, and many people including myself were viewing the show from Yosemite's Glacier Point all evening long. However, because the moon was nearly new and it was late summer, I knew there…

Phil CollaAugust 13, 2013

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Unicorn Peak and Cockscomb Peak, Yosemite National Park

Some years ago I stood with my young daughter in the far northwest end of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, watching a group of mule deer graze and enjoying the grassy expanse, when we turned around and realized we had this great view of Unicorn Peak (10,880' left) and…

Phil CollaOctober 3, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Stars Over Half Dome and Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park

Stars Over Half Dome and Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park If you want to be alone at Glacier Point, the popular overlook in Yosemite National Park, there are two ways to have the place to yourself: visit in the depths of winter, or visit in the wee hours of the…

Phil CollaOctober 1, 2012

Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Merced River in Spring, Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Falls and the Merced River I'm hooked on water in the Sierra Nevada and constantly try to find ways to include water in my images whenever possible. The Merced River, one of the major waterways flowing through the watershed of the western Sierra Nevada, usually flows quite high in…

Phil CollaJune 5, 2012

Yosemite

Sunrise over Half Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park

Half Dome Sunrise, from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park I was alone on Glacier Point on the morning I made this photograph. Temperatures were cool but not as chilly as I expected it to be given the altitude, season and exposure of this dramatic viewpoint. The air was clear and…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Star Trails at Night

Yosemite Falls at Night, with Star Trails and Polaris Yosemite Falls is easily the one waterfall near which I have spent the most time over the course of my life. I am in Yosemite often, especially in spring which is my favorite season to be in Yosemite National Park, and…

Phil CollaJune 1, 2012

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Vernal Falls and the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park Sarah and I recently made our somewhat-annual hike up the Mist Trail in Yosemite, enjoying the heights and sounds of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, as well as the Panorama Trail. It was not a serious photography outing…

Phil CollaAugust 10, 2011

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Star Trails

Stock Photos of Yosemite National Park. I've updated my collection of Yosemite photos, including the one below which I made at 2am a few evenings before the last new moon. One of the spring lunar rainbows that form in upper and lower Yosemite Falls -- which are a lot of…

Phil CollaJuly 12, 2011

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

A Return to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Photos of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park Last month I made a brief return trip to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, following my first visit in 2009. This time my father joined me, and we had a chance to spend a few days together in some of the…

Phil CollaSeptember 7, 2010

California Infrared National Parks Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Infrared Photo of a Giant Sequoia Tree

One tree in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is my favorite. Its huge, reasonably symmetric, and sits somewhat alone in meadow clearing so that morning light can illuminate almost the entire tree nicely. Plus, its a nice 2 mile run up through the grove from the…

Phil CollaOctober 1, 2009

Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Giant Sequoia Pictures

Many of my giant sequoia pictures are now on Photoshelter, which is the source of this nifty slideshow. Sequoia trees really are the most majestic of all plants. They are the largest (i.e., most massive) life forms on earth, and they are nearly the tallest (exceeded only by their cousins…

Phil CollaSeptember 2, 2009

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders

Some years ago I posted a blog entry about photos of glacial erratic boulders on Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park. Well, I was recently there and got a few more. Glacial erratic boulders are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby)…

Phil CollaSeptember 1, 2009

California Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Giant Sequoia Tree Photo

My in-laws live year-round very near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. It only takes a few minutes for me to drive in and reach the Mariposa grove of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum), so I will often go into the park early in the morning and take a…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2009

California National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park Note: I made a return trip to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp with my father in August 2010. I made another banzai speed run up to the Eastern Sierra last weekend, this time to spend two nights at reknowned Vogelsang High…

Phil CollaJuly 23, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Half Dome is the one feature most closely associated with Yosemite National Park. A vast lobe of Mesozoic-era granodiorite magma cooled to rock, Half Dome was gradually uplifted to its present altitude of 8842 ft. As the rock was exposed, weathering and exfoliation of shell-like outer layers of the rock…

Phil CollaApril 16, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

El Capitan, the massive granite monolith overlooking the western end of Yosemite Valley, is my favorite attraction in the park. It is beautiful and impressive from sunrise to sunset, under moonlight, in rain and when shrouded in mist. El Capitan, the largest known exposed granite block in the world, stands…

Phil CollaApril 15, 2009

California Icons Infrared Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Infrared Photo of Yosemite Falls and Leidig Meadow

I used the same digital infrared camera to photograph Leidig Meadow with upper Yosemite Falls. The skies were totally socked in, there was light rain and virtually no color, so normal color photographs were unappealing and immediately deleted. But a black and white conversion of one of the color channels…

Phil CollaApril 14, 2009

California Infrared National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Infrared Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite

Here is an image of El Capitan, one of Yosemite Valley's most iconic iconistic icons, made with an digital infrared camera. The camera senses infrared light only, rather than visible spectrum light, resulting in dark skies and foliage that glows. See more Yosemite National Park stock photos. El Capitan eastern…

Phil CollaApril 13, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Tenaya Lake Panoramic Photo

In late summer a few years ago we took the kids to spend a few nights in Tuolumne Meadows and then drive over Tioga Pass to see Mono Lake. We stopped at Lake Tenaya for a swim and a picnic lunch on the way to the meadows. This is a…

Phil CollaAugust 14, 2007

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park

Nevada Falls is one of Yosemite's most spectacular waterfalls but is only reached with some effort. A 3.5 mile hike (one-way) up the Mist Trail, which includes a good soaking while passing by Vernal Falls along the way, is required to reach the summit of Nevada Falls, including 1900' of…

Phil CollaMay 19, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Bridalveil Falls Rainbow

During spring months with heavy water flow, it is easy to see a rainbow in Bridalveil Falls: just visit the falls a short while before sunset and watch as the colors climb up the plummeting water as the sun sinks behind you. Bridalveil Falls with a rainbow forming in its…

Phil CollaMay 18, 2006

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Yosemite Falls Lunar Rainbow

After getting word that the waterfalls in Yosemite are pouring at ginormous levels right now (due to a timely combination of last winter's deep snowpack and recent warm weather), I blasted up to Yosemite Valley for a quickie. Indeed, all the falls were huge. As I drove into the Valley…

Phil CollaMay 15, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Fern Springs, Yosemite National Park

Fern Springs, near the entrance to Yosemite Valley, is a quietly running spring that crosses below the road and enters the Merced River. The small cascades offer a change of composition to the photographer looking for something to focus on aside from the towering granite walls and thundering waterfalls for…

Phil CollaMay 5, 2006

California National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite National Park

Bridalveil Falls is a classic example of a "hanging valley". Two million years ago it was a stream flowing through a canyon that intersected Yosemite Valley. Over time glaciers carved away the intersection, leaving Bridalveil's canyon "hanging" above the valley and turning the stream into falls that plunge 620 feet…

Phil CollaApril 2, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park

Tenaya Lake lies in the high country of Yosemite National Park, surrounded by enormous granite domes and coniferous forests. Tenaya Lake is surrounded by epic granite domes, with Polly Dome on the left. Late afternoon, viewed from Olmsted Point. Image ID: 09955 Location: Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California, USA…

Phil CollaSeptember 19, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Mammoth Peak, Yosemite National Park

Mammoth Peak rises above Tioga Lake and Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Mammoth Peak and alpine meadows in the High Sierra are reflected in Tioga Lake at sunrise. This spectacular location is just a short walk from the Tioga Pass road. Near Tuolumne Meadows and…

Phil CollaSeptember 18, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Lembert Dome, Yosemite National Park

Lembert Dome rises above Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. The hike to the summit of Lembert Dome is easy and leads through a forest of trees before emerging on the backside of the dome, and offers expansive view of the entire Tuolumne Meadows from the…

Phil CollaSeptember 17, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Yosemite Falls in Spring

Falling 2425 feet (730m) in three sections, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America and the fifth tallest in the world. During winter, a cone of frozen mist forms at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. A strenuous hike takes visitors from the valley floor to the precipice…

Phil CollaMay 26, 2005

Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Spring is the time to visit Vernal Falls and the famous Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. Vernal Falls is at peak flow in late May and June, the weather is usually pleasant and the dogwoods are in bloom on the valley floor. We try to make a springtime visit…

Phil CollaMay 23, 2005

California Landscape Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Above the granite walls surrounding Yosemite Valley are found many examples of glacial erratic boulders. These glacial erratics are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby) and they were deposited by slow-moving glaciers, sometimes after having been moved a considerable distance (e.g.,…

Phil CollaFebruary 26, 2005

California Landscape Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley offers panoramic views that, in many cases, cannot be effectively captured with a single photograph (a frame of film or a single digital image capture). Stitching photographs together digitally offers a way to produce panoramic images using non-panoramic cameras. Below is an example of this technique, considering Half…

Phil CollaFebruary 25, 2005

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