A Stormy Afternoon : Michael Frye Photography

Stormy afternoon at Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, California

The climate is the wrong way up right here in central California. Our wettest season, winter, was exceptionally dry. But now that spring has arrived the storms have returned. We’ll take it – we’d like the rain, and, because the saying goes, it’s higher late than by no means.

And simply to make issues extra fascinating, over the previous few days unstable air has triggered quite a few thunderstorms, with plenty of lightning and thunder. That’s fairly uncommon for this a part of the world.

Thunderstorms can create splendidly photogenic atmospheric situations, and I’ve been alert for any alternatives that may come up. On Friday afternoon radar photographs confirmed a broad line of thunderstorms approaching Yosemite, so Claudia and I made a spur-of-the-moment journey as much as Yosemite Valley.

I hoped to see dappled gentle, or possibly even a rainbow because the solar popped out between showers. Instead, one thunderstorm adopted one other, with solely slight breaks in between. At one level, whereas we had been ready out a rain bathe in our automobile at Tunnel View, spots of daylight began to hit the valley, and I noticed a faint rainbow beginning to kind, so I grabbed my digicam and rushed out. But the sunshine light nearly instantly.

Landscape images typically requires letting go of expectations, and adapting to the situations in entrance of you. Even with out daylight, the rain created splendidly moody, misty scenes in Yosemite Valley. So I pivoted, visualizing how these scenes would look in black and white, and concentrating on capturing moments when the mist and clouds had been notably fascinating – and moody.

The problem was protecting ourselves and our cameras dry. We waited out the worst of the deluges in our automobile, venturing out when the rain let up a bit. I stored my digicam coated with a plastic rain sleeve, and used a lens hood to assist maintain raindrops off the entrance of the lens.

Luckily the wind was at our backs, in order that helped. I don’t thoughts photographing within the rain so long as the wind isn’t blowing water onto the entrance of my lens. And even when the wind is in my face I can simply maintain wiping the lens clear. That’s annoying, however well worth the bother for particular conditions. I’ve photographed within the rain many instances, and made a few of my favourite photographs that means.

So whereas we didn’t get the sunshine we had been hoping for on Friday, Claudia and I had numerous enjoyable photographing the mist and clouds. It’s all the time a deal with to see Yosemite Valley in stormy climate.

— Michael Frye

P.S. Circle of Light Update

A undertaking that Claudia and the Circle of Light group have been quietly engaged on for a very long time is nearly able to share with the world.

The Nature of Place: Personal Narratives in Landscape Photography is a brand new collaborative e book from Circle of Light — six ladies photographers (Anna Morgan, Charlotte Gibb, Jennifer Renwick, Michele Sons, Sarah Marino, and my spouse, Claudia Welsh) who got here collectively round a shared perception that panorama images will be one thing extra private, extra significant than what we usually see. The e book launches formally on Earth Day, April twenty second. But they’re providing a particular pre-launch worth for readers of this weblog.

Starting tomorrow, you may get your copy for simply $25 – that’s $14 off the common worth of $39. I’ll ship out one other publish tomorrow with the low cost code, so search for that! This pre-launch worth is on the market via April twenty first solely. On launch day, the value strikes to $29.

If you’ve ever felt a deep pull towards a selected place — when you’ve questioned the best way to convey extra of your self into your images — this guide was written for you.

More images from Friday afternoon:

Trees, mist, and Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite NP, California

Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall via rain and mist, Yosemite NP, California

Related Posts: Coming Home to Yosemite; Monsoon Season in Yosemite

Michael Frye is an expert photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives close to Yosemite National Park in California, however travels extensively to {photograph} pure landscapes within the American West and all through the world.

Michael makes use of gentle, climate, and design to make images that seize the temper of the panorama, and convey the wonder, energy, and thriller of nature. His work has obtained quite a few awards, together with the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 award for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s images have appeared in publications world wide, and he’s the creator and/or principal photographer of a number of books, together with Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.