High Sierra Topix

With that time of the year coming up in a few weeks here are two sites which may be of
use to my fellow Sierra photographers.
This one is great to brush up on ones technique:
http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/fall ... -color.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This one I have posted here before, but will do once again since it has the best up to date
fall conditions reports: http://www.calphoto.com/fall.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's a couple more useful links....
http://www.visitmammoth.com/static/inde ... tentID=699" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://parchersresort.net/FallColors.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Went to your link RB's website and scanned through his advice. RB stated:

"After the color of the vegetation, the most important factor in successful fall color imagery is the light. In general, there are two types of light that are favorable for photographing fall color: the diffuse light of an overcast sky and magic hour light ."

So he is just another new photographer probably taught by one of last generations Velvia film users that is so hung up on very early/late light or diffuse light dogma that he treats all the rest of the daytime sunny conditions like Dracula. Diffuse cloud condition light can indeed be wonderful, especially for understory shooting and intimate landscapes. Magic hour light is another thing.

The ironic thing is when leaf chasers (any many are not photographers) actually visit our Eastern Sierra aspen groves, they don't do so during the noted early/late "magic hours" light well for a simply reason... It almost always is visually boring with relatively dull often shaded warm color. No they go mainly between mid morning and late morning or early to mid afternoon because it looks like what we have all experienced to be impressed by. During early/late, everything is weakly warm, even the landscape, so there isn't much beautiful color contrast between trees and the rest. Until the sun altitude rises enough there is little translucent glow from within leaves. What he is really preaching is that later on a computer running an editing program, that given a modestly colored base raw image taken during that period, that one can more easily manipulate the result so it looks impressive by increasing saturation, contrast, and selectively changing image areas. Oh and that's nothing "in my mind's eye" as Galen Rowel used to add but in this computer age rather is just a matter of tweaking the controls until a result looks good.

Yes, you are right Dave, the colors are better mid morning, and no, not everything
he writes is always spot on.
The advice about the white balance, polarizers, isolating subjects, composition, and
patterns are good practical advice which most folks, especially new to photography can
use.
Some photographers enjoy post processing much more, than learning the technique on
how to take a photo correctly because it can be fixed in pp anyways, and this is where
the old school, and new school differ.
I personally enjoy both methods since both they have there place in my work flow.
For example being able to get a super sharp photo from the foreground to infinite at the
optimal f stop is not possible most of the time with a regular dslr/lens combo unless one
uses a tilt sift lens, I am happy to use PS CS5, and other software, to be able to focus
bracket, exposure bracket, and auto blend for DOF, so I can get as close to LF quality
as possible.

Sierra Fall color update as reported by photographer over on FM to the area 10/3/11.

"North Lake (above Bishop) - Green/yellow along the road, nice color around the
parking area.
McGee Creek (between Bishop and Mammoth) - still pretty green. However, if the
incoming storm doesn't take too much of a toll on the leaves, it should be great in
a week to 10 days.
Lundy Lake - Lots of green, but some yellows appearing along the road before the
campground. Looks to me like it's still about 2 weeks before peak there.
Virginia Lakes road - Nice color here, with yellows and oranges. The wind was really
whipping and lots of leaves were on the road.
Monitor Pass and Hope Valley - green, probably 2 weeks away from peak, weather
permitting."

Looks like I will be on a road trip on the east side next Saturday thru Tuesday in order to sync with a couple other people that don't have flexibility. Well maybe Friday night too? A bit early for my sense of what is happening. But will see how it goes. Uncertain if that means Bishop Creek or easier for me to reach areas about Lee Vining and Bridgeport areas. Will see how the storm plays out and leaf changes the rest of this week.

SSSdave wrote:Looks like I will be on a road trip on the east side next Saturday thru Tuesday in order to sync with a couple other people that don't have flexibility. Well maybe Friday night too? A bit early for my sense of what is happening. But will see how it goes. Uncertain if that means Bishop Creek or easier for me to reach areas about Lee Vining and Bridgeport areas. Will see how the storm plays out and leaf changes the rest of this week.

I waiting too! I already postponed my day trip (or extended day) from this Monday to next week or even the next. Thinking about Convict Lake and or Lundy Canyon.

10/6/11 update by photographer:

"One foot of snow at Rock Creek Lake. Road plowed, but icy. Was still snowing all day. 24
degrees at 9:30 AM. Snow starts at about 8,000’. What trees with color at 9,300 (and many
did two days ago) were bent over due to the weight of the snow.

South Lake and Sabrina Lake open (plowed), but North Lake closed and will not be plowed
I was told by the US Forest Service. With probably a foot or snow (I didn’t check, but us
similar to Rock Creek Lake) you might be able to walk in, but not drive.

Schulman Grove at Bristlecone Pines were closed yesterday and today due to heavy snow.
Forest Service is going to see if they can drive in tomorrow. Drifts of five feet were reported
from the research station on White Mountain. Bishop is cold and drizzling rain as I write
this (6:00 PM 10/6) ."

24hr road trip completed and now back home, $70 poorer for the gas. Was as mediocre as expected and told others to bail that were going to drive up. Instead maybe will go deep sea fishing Monday.

Drove over SR120 last night and significant amount of snow from storm in Yosemite, about at least a foot from 7kfeet and above. Snow down to about 5.5k. Drove down to Parker Bench area and could see higher areas of the large Mt Wood grove mostly browned out all the trees that apparently were undergoing change. Everything else below is still green including Walker Creek. Very green trees about lower Lee Vining Creek and Mono Lake. Along US395 trees both north and south of Conway Summit all green. Drove up Virginia Lakes Road some and above 9k trees undergoing change were brown. Especially any groves that had become orange went brown. Those below all green. Went over Sonora Pass and same thing in the Walker Basin.

Early in the week the NWS was forecasting about a 7.5k snow level that would dip post frontal to 6.5k. Instead was about 1k lower and the post frontal cold core storm was considerably more robust, driving way down into the deserts. Unusual for early October. Snow melting very fast because of warm ground temps. Looks like about 2 weekends from now for the lower grove areas.

Easily the latest Eastern Sierra aspen grove leaf in my lifetime. Learned something useful. This early summer aspen leafed out very late and that is apparently why they are now changing late.

Thanks Dave for the update, unfortunate but was expected, may forgo next weeks trip
unless something magical happens, and reports show decent displays in other area's, but
won't hold me breath.