The last time I visited Yosemite Valley was in April, 2018, for a workshop given by The Ansel Adams Gallery—In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams. One of the gallery staff photographers walked us to various sites in Yosemite Valley where Ansel Adams had captured images. Along the way, we learned about Ansel Adams’ life, photographic philosophy, and processing.
This past year I joined a Photographic Society of America Digital Dialogue group for monochrome photography. Each month, our group of seven photographers, submits one photo for the others in the group to critique. I’ve learned a lot from them regarding post processing techniques for monochrome. Specifically, I learned to use Nik Silver Effects Pro. The app provides a couple dozen options for converting a color image to a monochrome one. It is quite stunning how the monochrome presets can vary the mood of a photo. Armed with this new knowledge, I pulled out a couple of images from that 2018 workshop—Half Dome and Yellowstone Falls.
I’d love to get back to Yosemite Valley one of these days, but it can get quite crowded there. So I usually opt for going through Yosemite’s upper route, over Tioga Pass, and then visiting the Ansel Adams and John Muir wilderness areas. It’s less crowded and the alpine lakes amazing.
