Happy Autumn! Who else is looking forward to cooler days and fabulous fall colors?? This is a photo I took last October on a random walk around Yosemite Valley. I was trying to avoid the crowds and ducked in on a random pull out. My steps led me to this spot at just the right time to capture the sun bursting through this beautiful oak tree. Wow!
The second photo was taken at Mendocino Botanical Garden late October 2024. I captured this image on a early morning walk after a stormy night. There’s just something about an image with steam rising or mist. Another moment of awe in nature.🍻 Here’s to more moments like these in the coming days!
Happy Autumn! Who else is looking forward to cooler days and fabulous fall colors?? This is a photo I took October 2024 on a random walk around Yosemite Valley. I was trying to avoid the crowds and ducked in on a random pull out. My steps led me to this…
I’m pleased to acknowledge that this photo, “Out of the Mist” has earned a Sponsors Award and People’s Choice Award from Tuolumne County’s 38th Annual InFocus Photography Competition . In addition it has also been chosen to be part of Carnegie Arts Centers Showcase exhibit this month with an “Honorable Mention” awarded for the 2025 competition.
The Rostrum is a granite pilar that’s mostly notice by those who climb, others might not even know it’s there. The Falls at Cascade Creek get most of the attention when driving in from Hwy 120 on the Big Oak Flat entrance for Yosemite. Those Falls are a sight to behold in the winter and spring, on this early morning after a stormy night, this moment happened when I looked on the opposite side. It was a glorious morning with moody views, misty clouds covering the sky with the sunrise just starting to pop through. I was a little giddy with excitement about the Amazing views before me! I found this view popping through the trees from a pullout I stopped at to photograph The Cascades. The view quickly changed as the Sun got higher and the mist started to dissipate.
This was one of those moments that you only experience by getting up and out in the cold dark of day, hoping to experience something interesting. No expectations, other than a fun day out in Yosemite, experiencing the little scenes, along with the Grand.
The Rostrum – Yosemite I’m pleased to acknowledge that this photo, “Out of the Mist” has earned a Sponsors Award and People’s Choice Award from Tuolumne County’s 38th Annual InFocus Photography Competition . In addition it has also been chosen to be part of Carnegie Arts Centers Showcase exhibit this…
Taking a moment to reflect on what was captured these previous twelve months. What have I done with my one and only glorious life, or more profoundly, What Have I experienced?
These are (In My Opinion) My best images that I was able to experience and capture in a way that really resembled the moment. That doesn’t always happen with a camera. These images are a combination of many hours of studying the craft and learning techniques so that when in the right place, at the right time, I might get lucky with images that express a “wow”. In photography, timing is everything. What you do prior to prepare is all the difference in what is expressed.
This year was filled with a lot of time running from moment to moment. Not wanting to miss any opportunity, only to actually miss some pretty spectacular ones due to other life complications that kept me from being where I’d love to be or if time did present, not having enough energy to express any creativity in the moment. Such is life. Not all things are ment for you at that moment. “You can do everything, just not all at the same time”. Words worth reminding myself of.
In the midst of those feelings, I also found myself asking “Why am I taking this photo?” “Who is it for?” “ What are you going to do with it?”
A lot of those thoughts revolved around trying to support or create some type of “Professional” business. Chasing images for accolades…and then somewhere around September, I just stopped the chase and excepted where I am and tried to work in appreciation and gratitude for what IS, not what was or would be. That meant adjusting my attitude and creating for ME, first, or not doing anything. That meant creating and sharing what I liked, not because “others” would say it’s great, beautiful, and/or an award winning image. I don’t want that thought to be what’s forcing me to feel compelled to run out to capture the best light or environment.
I’m taking a breath and then I will carry on. What will 2025 bring, new experiences, in ways I might not be able to imagine at this writing. New challenges and New opportunities to find the glimmer of something special. I will allow myself to be a work in progress, continually growing.
Taking a moment to reflect on what was captured these previous twelve months. What have I done with my one and only glorious life, or more profoundly, What Have I experienced? These are (In My Opinion) My best images that I was able to experience and capture in a way…
While on a hike up to Mount Hoffman in Yosemite last weekend, a few surprises popped out to say hello! While going up the trail , my friends and I came across a flock of Grouse (sometimes referred to as mountain chicken). This was a first for me, in that there were more than one to view! Normally I just hear grouse hiding in the brush. They make a sound like someone beating a drum. These weren’t drumming. These were young, probably born this spring would be my guess. They were foraging in the grass as we walked by. They didn’t seem too concerned that we were close by, they just scurried a little to cross the trail and went about their business. The one above just walked straight towards me down the trail for minute, then darted to the side where I captured the above shot of him.
As we got a little bit higher on the trail around 10,000ft, the Marmot came out. Marmots are usually all around the top of Mount Hoffman, but not on this day. They have a reputation of stealing distracted hikers snacks at the top of the peak. I’m guessing they came down due to an early snow storm that came threw the night before. The temperatures dropped significantly, but the weather was perfect the morning I was there.
The views at the top were amazing! From the top of Mount Hoffman, you have a one of the best views of Clouds Rest, Half Dome and beyond! On the way back down the trail, the afternoon light lit up Mount Clark and Red peak.
The white puffy clouds around them made the view even better!
Mount Clark (center) Red Peak (right side)
As I stood taking in the views all around me, I heard a little chirp call out!
The view looking down on May Lake
To my surprise Pika’s were in the area. I don’t remember them being here before, it’s around 9,500 feet, which is close to the elevation they prefer, so they could have been here I just never paid attention. Hearing that little chirp, set me off looking deep among the rocks for an actual sighting and hopefully a photo! It took a few sightings to find the one above who gave me quite the show. This little Pika was too busy eating grass to care about me. She just sat there and chopped on the grass, finished and the leaped down for more and came back to her rock to eat again. This little dinning gave me quite a bit of time to take a lot of photos from various angles to try to get that just right portrait of a Pika. I even managed to get a couple of little videos. One with the above Pika eating and the another one calling out and showing himself for a minute.
Raw video of a pika with background commentary (hahaha). Yes, she did give us a show!
What a great day out in the high country of Yosemite! The last couple of months have been busy and providing a lot of photos for the portfolio, but the last few weekends have really been amazing for wildlife sightings. I’ve had quite the dry spell earlier in the year, where I didn’t see much the many times I went out. Not great if you fancy yourself as a “wildlife” photographer! These recent memories fill my soul and inspire me to continue exploring with my camera. I hope you enjoy the photos & video. Now I need to go to work on the computer going through all my captures to see what I can create for my show in the fall.
While on a hike up to Mount Hoffman in Yosemite last weekend, a few surprises popped out to say hello! While going up the trail , my friends and I came across a flock of Grouse (sometimes referred to as mountain chicken). This was a first for me, in that…
So this happen a couple weeks back…hanging out by the bathrooms in Yosemite, This GUY flies by! This is a Great Grey Owl (click to learn more about this kind of owl). I’ve been searching for him for a couple of years now. I’ve made special trips up to Yosemite, just to catch a glimpse with no luck. Goes to show things happen when you least expect them, it pays to be ready! I had my Z8 with me with a shorter zoom of 24-200mm. It’s what I carry with me as an all around camera for hikes. I was with a group of friends, we were heading out to hike the trail out to Mount Watkins off of Tioga Road that morning.
The Great Grey owl flew by us in the parking lot and landed in some trees behind the buildings. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was other than some type of owl, when he flashed by. It was a little later in the morning around 8:00 am, which I wouldn’t normally expect to see an owl, but there he was. It was very shady in the tree’s, so I blew out my ISO to make sure I could catch something. It’s not a great picture due to it being pixelated due to having such a high ISO, but I used the Topaz software Gigapixel to help bring out the details and reduce the noise. The above photo is what I got. It’s a nice memory, still kinda grainy. I’m on a learning curve with these low light captures. Photography is a fine art with a definite skill set of balancing shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO. For birds and fast moving object, experts suggest a high shutter speed of at least 2,000-3,000. With that high of shutter speed for an in focus shot, requires a high ISO. I was on manual and just cranked it. Probably too high, too extreme on both ends. Now I need to learn how to better judge a balance of the two in order to get the very best capture. That’s the difference between a snapshot and art (IMO), my goal is to create the very best artistic captures of the nature that surrounds me.
Practice, Practice, Practice is how a photographer get’s better. So it’s outside I go, open to whatever comes my way. 📸
So this happen a couple weeks back…hanging out by the bathrooms in Yosemite, This GUY flies by! This is a Great Grey Owl (click to learn more about this kind of owl). I’ve been searching for him for a couple of years now. I’ve made special trips up to Yosemite,…
Well…here we are July 2024, how did that happen so quickly! I’ve been busy multitasking I guess. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting to post an update since early spring when the Dogwood tree’s started to bloom, but it was pretty cumbersome to do. So, I’ve found a new way and started a new Blog site that will hopefully make sharing my updates a little easier. This post is the first, I’ve got a lot to catch you up on! I’ve been out photographing a lot, building up my portfolio while studying the art from many established photographers I admire. Lots of online classes, webinars and podcasts hours since 2023 and my last post. I can definitely say I’m growing as a photographer and have a few recent images to prove it ( although those haven’t all made it on to the website quite yet).
Let’s start a new conversation and keep in touch. Your impressions and comments are appreciated. I think I’ve been wasting too much time on Social media sites this year. There’s a lot of great images out there, but it mostly leaves me disappointed and longing for more of a connection. I’m going to work on spending more time here. So check back, I’ll share some of my random scenery shots and thoughts as we head on down the road.
Well…here we are July 2024, how did that happen so quickly! I’ve been busy multitasking I guess. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting to post an update since early spring when the Dogwood tree’s started to bloom, but it was pretty cumbersome to do. So, I’ve found a new way…
My name is Andria, a Nature and Wildlife photographer living in the Central Valley of Northern California. Most of my wandering’s are in the Foothills, Sierra Mountains or Yosemite. This is my blog site for all my adventures out and about in this great big world.
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