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Well it looks like I will be moving out of the Bay Area and it's looking more and more likely I will be returning to the foothills near Yosemite. We are excited about it but man I hate moving so I decided to bum this one back up on my photostream. This is one of my first and still most popular shots. Can't wait to be back in the woods.

If you have chosen to enter Yosemite from the south entrance along Highway 41 you will first get a few fleeting glimpses around the bends of the Valley that will cause you to wonder if what you just saw was real. It seems too big, too distant. Surely your eyes are just playing tricks on you. The trees will quickly obscure your view and you will drive along directly into the face of the mountains via Yosemite's longest tunnel. Because it's such a long tunnel and you may begin to relax but grip the wheel tight as you approach the exit for the view you are about to see will wrench your eyes from the road in disbelief!

There is good reason for the flashing yellow light warning you to slow. Suddenly before you lies an impossibly massive scene of snow topped granite towers, soaring waterfalls and pristine forests. Possibly the most photographed icon of nature lies before you an impossible view simply called Inspiration Point though some refer to it as the tunnel view. A "U" shaped glacier valley lies a thousand feet below you. To the left of the image, the impressive, largest single piece of exposed granite called El Capitan is the most dominate object in Yosemite Valley. Early explorers, unable to believe their eyes, estimated the rock at only 900ft above the valley floor. They simply could not fathom it's real height. Modern measurements eventually put it well over three times that height at nearly 3000 feet above Yosemite Valley. To the right, a towering waterfall whipped by the blowing winds in the narrow canyon appropriately named Bridal Veil Falls. While not the tallest, it is definitely one of the more beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite. In the far distance, another seemingly impossible large chunk of granite cut in half by the glaciers appropriately named Half Dome rises above the valley. But it's not over yet, you have only begun the start of a dream like drive that will take you all the way up the valley past numerous waterfalls, the meandering Merced River and lead you to Yosemite Falls which will makes Bridal Veil Falls look like a tiny trickle of water. If you are a photographer, you could easily spend your day at the entrance as the scene will change by the minute, especially in winter, but push on, as there is much to see.

Winter and early spring in Yosemite are a quiet time and possibly the best for photography if you don't mind driving on cliff walls in the snow. The summer crowds have yet to arrive. The campgrounds are empty and except for a few cars driving though the valley the roads are clear. And though you may stick to the outhouse seats there are few drawbacks to visiting during this time of year provided you bring the proper gear for you and your car. If you can, plan your visits to coincide with the breaking of a winter storm. Yosemite staff are good at keeping the roads open and you have a good chance of getting the proper conditions for some stunning photography as the clouds break. I spent 5 years of my life living just outside the park. My only regret is that digital photography was only in its infancy at the time.

Darv

© Darvin Atkeson
darvin@liquidmoonlight.com
YosemiteLandscapes.com

Tags:   Yosemite El Capitan Half Dome 'Bridal Winter Snow Sierra Forest Darv LiquidMoonlight.com Landscape Nature Fog Travel Vacation Valley Glacier Point Sunrise USA America National Park يوسمايت حديقة وطني 约塞米蒂国家公园 요세미티 국립 공원 ヨセミテ国立公園 约塞米蒂 יוסמיטי יאָסעמיטע كاليفورنيا 美国加州 캘리포니아 カリフォルニア州 Darvin Atkeson ヨセミテ Bridalveil Fall wallpaper art desktop Yosemite National Park Vista moonrise moon

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Most of you probably know her as the HMS Interceptor in the blockbuster movie Pirates Of The Caribbean which Captain Jack Sparrow steals along with young Will Turner in pursuit of the Black Pearl. In reality she's a modern remake of The Lady Washington. A 90 ton merchant sloop that sailed around Cape Horn, participated in the fur and pelt trade and the first American ship to ever sail to Japan. The original sank just off the Philippines in the late 1700s.

This replica of the Lady Washington now sails out of Aberdeen Washington on educational voyages. We heard the tall ship would be in coming up the Sacramento River Delta near our home. I had hoped to catch her under full sail. I settled for the Lady Under A Full Moon on the Sacramento River Delta which was in no way a disappointment.

Lady Washington Statistics
Length on deck 67 feet
Length on the waterline 72 feet
Overall length 112 feet
Draft 11 feet
Beam 22 feet
Mast height 89 feet
Displacement 210 tons
Gross tonnage 99 tons
Total sail area 4,442 square feet
Rigging approximately six miles
Guns two, three pounders. two swivels, aft.
Crew compliment 12
Passenger capacity 48


© Darvin Atkeson
Yosemite Landscapes
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Tags:   HMS Interceptor Lady Washington Tall Ships Sacramento River Delta Full Moon Ship Sailing Ship California Darv Darvin Atkeson LiquidMoonlight.com Liquidmoonlight Pirates of the Caribbean The Lady Washington Sloop Reflections GoldenHeartAward ABigFave platinumphoto MultiMegaShot BlueRibbonWinner GoldenHeart WONDERWORLD Pirate Port GoldStarAward GoldMedalWinner World's Art Gallery RubyPhotographer Passion Photography TheUnforgettablePictures UltimateShot Flickr Envy flickrs best Interceptor Black Pearl Washington Sailing Caribbean Pirates GoldenDiamondBlog Portrait Tall Cutter USA U.S. America 美国加州 カリフォルニア州 캘리포니아 peregrino27-NEW-VISION

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The day was winding down and I was envious of a friends wide angle shot included the moon peaking though the summer storm over the Rio Vista Drawbridge along Highway 12. I am not sure who first suggested shooting this little bridge. Till now I have always limited my shots to the Golden Gate Bridge or The Bay Bridge. But this little bridge would turn out to be quite an interesting subject.

I had left my wide angle lens back in the car and was too lazy to go all the way back to the car to get it so I did the next best thing. I leveled the tripod as best I could in the dark and then started with the moon as the first frame, then worked my way down taking a shot at about 20% lower from the top of the previous image until I had taken six shots. I had to wait between shots so cars would not light part of the scene and cause stitching errors or sudden ends to the light streaks.

Back in the darkroom, I loaded up the NEF (RAW) files but they look nothing like what I had seen on the back of my camera. But the JPEG files did. You see I record in both JPEG and RAW and RAW files have no post processing applied. The Nikon D300 has a Vivid setting that is great for bringing out color in dark images but it's only applied to the JPEG files. So why not just use the JPEG files? Because they lack the dynamic range (bright to dark) that is available in the RAW files. You can use them but adjusting the lighting of the scene is much more limited. In order to reproduce the look of the Vivid setting I had to use Capture NX to read in the NEF file then save off TIFF files. The TIFF format is capable of retaining the dynamic range of the RAW file. Next I took the six TIFF images in to Photoshop and stitched them. Added a bit of sharpening to the image and then did some noise reduction. It took me several tries varying the steps each time before I would get exactly what I wanted.

The final image is 4454 x 4435 but I opted to crop a sliver off each side to create a perfect square image. The file has been uploaded here on Flickr at 1600 x 1600.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

Tags:   Midnight Blue Sacramento River Delta Three Mile Slough Bridge Highway Twelve 12 San Francisco Bay Area Landscape Long Exposure Night Photography Drawbridge Bridges California Summer Storm Darv Darvin Atkeson LiquidMoonlight.com

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It is the dead of winter in California but on this night a warm tropical storm would push fog slowly into San Francisco and across the deck of the Golden Gate Bridge. Layers of fog can be seen wrapping in and around the hills of the city. Light from a cruise ship illuminates the fog from beneath as it heads out to the vast Pacific. In the distance, the lights of San Francisco glow upon the bay.

I was headed home but decided to take 101 to the Bay Bridge. We pulled out onto Treasure Island to gaze upon the city and enjoy some dinner. As I was walking back to the car I noticed the two red lights of the Golden Gate had broken though the fog in the distance. But could I get across the city in time? By the time I arrived the fog had but disappeared from the north tower and only a thin layer covered the south deck above the south tower.

Then just as I was about to leave it started rolling back in, gently wrapping around the base of the towers. Soon the entire deck was covered from one end to the other. I stayed late and wanted to stay till morning but the fog was extremely wet and I was totally soaked and having a real hard time keeping the lens clear.

What a fantastic structure. It is hard to believe it was built 75 years ago and remains one of the more stunning bridges in the world.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

Tags:   Golden Gate Bridge Suspension Bridge San Francisco California Cruise Ship Transamerica Sutro Bay Bridge Fog Foggy City By The Bay Night Darv Darvin Atkeson LiquidMoonlight.com

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The world's most famous bridge, the Golden Gate, celebrated her 75th birthday on the evening of May 27th with a stunning fireworks show that completely stunned and amazed the huge crowds. Fireworks illuminated jumped off the entire structure of the bridge as several barges provided background fireworks and a light show the likes San Francisco has never
seen. The Golden Gate Bridge's delicate structure and Art Deco style of days gone by served only to add grace and dignity to one of the best fireworks shows I have ever be held. It was truly a remarkable night and the yells of the crowds from across the bay seemed to indicate everyone's exuberant approval.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

Tags:   Fireworks Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary San Francisco California Bay Area Marin Headlands Fort Point Towers Suspension Bridge Bay Bridge Skyline Glow Party Birthday Celebration City By The Bay Towering Inferno Darv Darvin Lynneal Atkeson LiquidMoonlight.com 4th July

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