Granite, Snow, And Clouds. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds sweep across granite faces as winter snow falls above Yosemite Valley

This morning brought what I consider almost perfect Yosemite Valley weather — cold, windy, light snow falling, and misty clouds floating among the cliffs, peaks, and turrets surrounding the Valley. I found a spot with a suitable view of several impressive sections of Valley wall, put a long lens on the camera, and began to photograph as the storm evolved.

This sort of photography is anything but static. With clouds in motion and snow falling, the scene was constantly changing. One moment everything would go gray and the rocky faces were almost completely obscured. Then a section of thinner clouds would arrive, the granite and trees would begin to emerge, and sometimes the sun would briefly light sections of the scene. And as I focused on one area, something interesting would begin to occur in another spot. I had eyed the foreground sloping granite for some time, waiting for it to clear and for the ridge extending beyond it to become somewhat visible as the clouds drifted and parted.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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