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Here are some panorama and HDR photos from my recent trip to Yosemite National Park in California. The tree pics are vertical panoramas taken in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias (redwoods), though it’s hard to get a sense of scale since most of these photos don’t have people in them. Click on any image to view a larger size.
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I’ve been falling behind on my travel writing lately; I still have yet to write about my summer trip to Europe, so it will be quite a while before I get around to posting the journal from my most recent trip to California. In the meantime, here are some horizontal and vertical panoramas I shot in San Francisco. You can click on any image to view a larger size.
And I’ll leave you with a wider shot of the city at night.
The night sky over Yosemite is amazing. If you live in an area with high light pollution as most of us do, you likely have never seen a sky like this. There are so many stars that you feel like you’re standing on a different planet. I was actually able to see the Milky Way, as well as several shooting stars.
I didn’t have the proper equipment with me for taking high-quality night photos but this shot will give you some idea of what it looked like outside my cabin. I wish my stay had been longer so I could have ventured down into Yosemite Valley one night for even better views, but that gives me something to look forward to when I return one day.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
During my recent trip to San Francisco, I rented a car and headed to Yosemite National Park for a couple of days. My goal had been to drive out to Glacier Point on my first day because I knew I wouldn’t have time on the other two days, but for various reasons I got to the park too late and didn’t reach Glacier Point until after sunset. Consequently, my photos from that night were basically shot in the dark with little to focus on, so I broke out my f/1.8 prime lens and hoped for the best. The resulting graininess from boosting the low light levels made the photos look more like paintings, but I liked the effect, all things considered.
This view of Half Dome from Glacier Point is a composite of two separate photos not originally intended to be a panorama, but the photos were close enough in composition that it worked.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
California, here I come!
After spending two weeks in Europe and a week in Cape May this year, I had basically used up all of my vacation time, so I never imagined I’d be hopping on a plane in a couple of weeks for my first ever trip to California (actually, it’s my first trip to anywhere in the U.S. west of North Carolina).
My boss had asked me earlier in the year if I was interested in attending a conference in San Francisco. I said yes, but wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen. The trip finally got approved in mid-summer but we were so busy at work that we kept putting off making the arrangements. As the summer dragged on and all of the hotels got booked up, I had pretty much assumed it wasn’t going to happen. But in the end everything worked out and now I’m headed to the Golden State!
I decided to turn it into a mini-vacation by flying in two days before the conference and staying for three days after it. The big question was what to do with that extra time. I could have explored more of the city (I won’t even be able to scratch the surface of everything San Francisco has to offer) or I could have visited some of the surrounding areas like Napa Valley, but when I realized that Yosemite National Park is within a four-hour drive, my decision was made. There was no way I could pass up the chance to walk in the footsteps of Ansel Adams and gaze upon the beauty of Yosemite, so I booked a cabin for two nights in the park and reserved a rental car to drive out there after the conference. Yosemite should be spectacular decked out in the colors of autumn.
Meanwhile, the weekend before the conference I’m meeting up with my cousin who lives nearby for a planned drive along the Route 1 coast and up to see the redwoods, which will be awesome.
In between, I will be attending Dreamforce, a massive tech conference with well over 100,000 people expected to attend. It’s like the Comic Con of cloud computing. I will be staying near Fisherman’s Wharf and commuting to the Moscone Center for the conference. It should be quite an experience, though I’m not sure that I’m prepared for that type of human traffic congestion.
I will try to see as much of San Francisco as I can during my four days at the conference, though how much I’ll be able to accomplish each day after the conference lets out remains to be seen. If any San Francisco natives out there have advice on what I can do with my limited time, I’d be most grateful. I would like to try climbing at least one hill. I also want to walk through Chinatown and along the coast near Fisherman’s Wharf, and maybe visit Golden Gate Park. Any dining advice would also be appreciated (e.g., is In-N-Out Burger worth the hype or should I stick to finer dining establishments?). Thanks!
I’d also be grateful for Yosemite tips, and I’m curious if there are any places worth visiting between Yosemite and San Francisco since I have a late night flight home and can take my time driving back. Perhaps one of the Gold Rush towns?
I’m very excited about this unexpected journey. It’s hard to believe I’ll be flying for the third time in a year. I’m becoming a regular jet setter. 🙂
Michael Rappa 