Discover our favorite photo spots of 2009.

I started to build this website in January of 2009 with the purpose of documenting California’s incredible diversity of photographic jewels and to help you get the most out of your visit. It quickly became obvious to me, that I have enough material for years to come. California is one of the most diverse states in the Union.  In this post I want to share your favorite locations (most read) as well as my favorite locations. Hopefully, this will also help you new readers to find your way around.

The easiest way for navigation is through the table of contents or the maps. After just one year, the table of contents is already getting large. Try the maps to hone in on a certain location that interests you and to find out what you can see there. To see what you missed or to recap last year, here are some of our favorites:

Our favorite places

January

Many of us loathe the winter months, since they are allegedly grey. Add a touch of color by visiting the Monarch Grove Sanctuary. Countless monarch butterflies hibernate in this spot, making it one of the most fascinating and most interesting sights this time of the year (my log files agree).

February

During the last two months of February, you can visit another natural phenomenon only found in California, a natural “firefall.” The unique lighting conditions and water from the snow melt create the Yosemite Firefall.

March

The famous San Francisco fog can make excellent photographs, but if you are chasing grand vistas, it can get in your way. Amazingly, the fog is worse during the summer months, as cold air and hot air mix. March would thus be a good time for a visit to San Francisco, while avoiding the crowds and the fog. The Marin Headlands are my favorite place for San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate photography. Almost nobody knows of this place: Little Known Views of Marine Headlands.

April

During late March and early April the desert comes to live. Wildflowers bloom in a landscape that seems devoid of any life during most parts of the year. Adding dots of color to an already colorful landscape, you cannot go wrong with a trip to the deserts in early April. Timing is everything: Wildflowers in Death Valley

May

May is a good time to go waterfallin’. The snow melt fills the falls, the vegetation has recovered from the winter and I usually cannot wait to get out into nature for some serious hiking. A nice trip to take is the Whiskeytown Falls hike.

June

The snowmelt is still going on in the higher elevations, while the sun already scorches Central Valley and Southern California. It is time to escape the heat into the Sierra Nevada, California’s rooftop, for some high altitude chills. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located above 10,000 feet and offers a comfortable chill besides being a unique alien place and my absolute favorite location.

July

By now most of the grass will have turned brown except for the mountains and the coast. Temperatures near the coast always stay comfortable year round, which is the second reason you should visit Salt Point State Park. The first reason is the superb photographic value the alien looking tafoni formations offer you.

August

Keeping with the chilling theme, you should consider San Francisco again. The city by the bay keeps a comfortable temperature in summer and holds the most photographic value of all cities in California. Cool off at the Ferry Building Farmers Market, get a cold drink and hone your street shooting skills all at the same time.

September

The summer comes to an end, which is a good time to visit the Northern Sierra Nevada. Have you ever considered tracking down some old mining camps? One of the most photogenic is Chemung Mine. The old mill and weathered buildings offer countless options for your creativity.

October

Late September and early October are best for fall foliage peeping. Last October I took the chance and hiked up McGee Canyon. The amount of color and the scenic value of this canyon, which is often just a side note to Bishop Creek canyon in most books, took me by surprise.

November

I usually try to avoid the summer heat in Los Angeles. The concrete desert burns hot during the summer months, but it becomes a pleasant retreat from the rainier north during the winter. Website visitors like to read about the Viewpoint on Mulholland Drive. This pleasant drive is removed from the bustling city and offers great views. A good choice if the giant city makes you feel slightly uncomfortable.

December

How about a Christmas light walking tour of San Francisco? See and photograph the skillful decorations as San Francisco puts on a shine for Christmas.

See you again

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Aspen cottonwood trees reflecting in the Merced River

After a hot overcrowded summer, Yosemite Valley is showing off its colors for those of us who shun the main season and adjust travel plans by beauty rather than convenience.

Painters have an infinite variety of color at their disposal; photographers have time at theirs. Golden glowing trees reflecting in the calm waters of the Merced River, color contrast and fallen leaves in the foreground bring vibrancy to your photographs that you can only get during the fall. The summer crowds have left and nature will start its recovering process. Fall through spring is our time to enjoy the park without stepping on each other’s toes, witnessing the miracle of the changing seasons.

How to get there

You can get to Yosemite Valley via Highway 120 from Oakdale, Highway 140 from Merced or Highway 41 from Fresno. If Tioga Pass is still open, you can also drive through the park from Lee Vining to the west and turn left at Big Oak Road. Later in the year, I prefer Highway 140 over 120 due to the lower elevation (less snow).

GPS position

• 37°43’14.82″N 119°38’51.29″W

How to photograph Yosemite Valley in fall

Bridalveil Fall through Maple

Trails

Driving through the valley will give you a first idea of where the most vivid color prevails. After this quick survey, and some river shots near the parking lots, you should prepare yourself to walk. Amazingly, you do not need to stray far from the busy roads to find solitude and some of the best photo spots.

The short hike between the Bridalveil Falls pullout on Southside Drive (near 37.72075°N and 119.64779°W) and El Capitan Bridge is the best example. Follow the trail towards Bridalveil Falls and turn left at the trail intersection. Shortly thereafter, the trail leads uphill, tracing the contours of Cathedral Rocks. I took the photograph of the maple leaves covering Bridalveil Falls from this spot.

As you hike along the trail, you will encounter colorful maple trees atop mossy and leaf covered rocks set against the blue hues of the rocks or the deep green of surrounding fir trees. You can cross the Merced River at El Capitan Bridge and explore El Capitan Meadow and the river from here. I recommend returning to your car along a different path. You could hike the entire Westside loop by following the trail north of Northside drive to Pohono Bridge, across the bridge and back to your starting point.

Compositions

Creek and Leaves

Although somewhat stereotypical, wide-angle compositions with lots of foreground elements like fallen leaves simply make pleasing photographs. In this picture, the eye automatically follows the line of the leaves, leading to the tree stump. Whether you hunt for a composition that has a more interesting subject at the end of the virtual line or whether you prefer the simplicity of this shot or maybe like to simplify the composition even more depends entirely on your photography style. I found this little creek while searching for the loop trail near Bridalveil Moraine (USGS map reference).

Set your camera to the highest saturation mode if you shoot JPG or increase saturation (or vibrancy) in your favorite RAW converter to bring out the full spectrum of colors present in the leaves. The harmonious soft lighting without bright spots is due to the forest canopy, the low angle of the sun and the high cliffs surrounding the valley. We easily overlook the subtle tones while stumbling through the underbrush. Learn how to recognize them and how to bring out the colors in your photographs.

Yosemite Church in fall

Color and Light

Besides the subtle indirect light, which worked well for the leaves on the ground image, sidelight and backlight work to create almost surreal glowing trees and color contrasts.

The image at the top of this article and the church are side-lit. The warm colors of the trees contrast the cold blue hues of the shadow on the rocks. Balancing these colors against each other creates tension. Areas of brightness and warmth clearly dominate the scene by their size and their distance to the cold blue tones. I took the image of the reflecting aspen at Sentinel Bridge. The composition of the church image may appear unusual. I intentionally placed the church dead center to emphasize the church and the yellow tree as the main subject, rather than the church alone. The bench is at a distance inviting the viewer to step into the picture.

The image maple leaves in the Bridalveil Fall image seem to glow from the inside, courtesy of the backlighting. Here too, the warm and cold tones play together to create tension, further emphasized by the dynamic splitting of the frame into background and foreground and by the waterfall itself.

Fall in Yosemite Valley is a spectacle of immense beauty. Consider yourself blessed, if you get the chance to visit the park during this time of the year.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

In 2009, fall season started during early October with trees around Merced River near Sentinel Bridge turning first. I expect the trees around Pohono Bridge to peak near the end of October and those at higher elevations to paint the cliffs with color near mid November.

You can expect fall color during most of October and November with changing focus throughout the season.

Contradictory to common photography wisdom, daytime is best for fall color photography while sunset and sunrise are not. Direct sunlight will make the trees glow. The lower angle of the sun provides enough shade in the valley to photograph ground leaves and slow down exposure on water.

Time required

You can spend an hour or several days here.

Equipment

• Tripod and Cable release
• All lenses can be useful
• Polarizing filter
• Neutral Density Filter
• Graduated Neutral Density Filter
• Layers of clothing
• Water and food (the horrible burger place closes at 5pm)

Fees

The entrance fee for the park is $20/car. They also accept the interagency pass, which I highly recommend.

Close Locations

• Yosemite Firefall   Horsetail Fall
• Views of Yosemite Valley
• Wildlife of Yosemite
• Mirror Lake
• Yosemite Falls, Sentinel Bridge and Swinging Bridge
• Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall Trail
• Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, Taft Point
• Hetch Hetchy
• Tioga Pass Road
• Tuolumne Meadows
• Mariposa Grove

Useful Resources

Some of my Yosemite Photographs

Yosemite Travel Article

Yosemite National Park Official Page

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Creek near June Lake

Take a scenic bypass from Highway 395 and discover a serene basin with four lakes, plenty of trails and many cool subjects for photography.

June Lake Loop veers off Highway 395, taking you to a gorgeous valley full of natural wonder. During the winter months, this area is popular with skiers and during the summer, fishing and boating are the main outdoor activities. The lakes meadows and creeks, surrounded by mountains, are a great find for nature photographers.

If you pass through this area, take the detour and spend some time here, you will not regret it.

How to get there

June Lake Loop Map (click to enlarge)

June Lake Loop is easy to find. Road signs along Highway 395 clearly point the way south of Tioga Pass (Highway 120, Lee Vining) and north of Mammoth Lakes.

GPS position

37°46’45.21″N 119° 7’44.90″W

How to photograph June Lake Loop

Aspen branch

The pleasant drive of June Lake Loop presents photographers with a number of great sights.  I have marked some of the best places for photography on the map above.

Besides the indicated places, you can find patches of color all along the loop. Drive slowly and monitor the surrounding landscape for possible photo locations. Learn to listen to your intuition! If something catches your attention, stop and look for a great composition.  Isolate what you saw from the surrounding clutter. Subconsciously our mind does this already, but to turn those short bursts of attention into great compositions, you need skill and practice.

Photograph aspen trees, reflected in water, from the campground west of June Lake or from the Silver Lake viewpoint! The aspen trees around Silver Lake will turn colorful first, while the trees around June Lake will delight you with their colorful foliage a little later. I found some leafs that had fallen into the water and included them in my composition to add interest to the foreground. Use a circular polarizing filter to cut glare from the water!

The aspen trees look best when you photograph against the sun. As the sunlight penetrates the leaves of the trees, they start to glow. I caught a lens flare on my image, which would take some time to fix. Use a lens hood or make sure you photograph at a 60-degree angle against the sun instead of straight on (0 degrees) to avoid flares. I photographed the scene early in the afternoon, but I could have waited a few more hours for 60 degree light.

Silver Lake Aspen Leaves

Another favorite photography location is the picnic area north of Silver Lake. A creek, surrounded by aspen trees, runs between the parking area and the nearby rock face. The trees are very rich and colorful as you can see in the image at the beginning of this article.

Using a CP filter when you photograph water will reduce glare and make the water more transparent. You can also enhance reflections and make the water appear more mirror like with the filter. Simply turn the filter to achieve the effect you wish.

June Lake Loop is a pleasant detour from Highway 395. Trails, views and picnic areas invite the traveler to take a detour and spend some time exploring the area. Take the drive and spend as much time as you want in this wonderful place.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Come here during fall or spring for maximum color. Mid to late afternoon light will be best during the fall.

Time required

It takes about 90 minutes to drive the loop and stop frequently for photography.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens for large scenic shots
• Telephoto lens for intimate shots (branch image)
• CP filter to enhance colors and cut glare from the water
• Picnic basket

Close Locations

• Mammoth Lakes
• Mammoth Consolidated Mine
• Devils Postpile National Monument and Rainbow Falls
• Mono Lake
• Tioga Pass
• Mono Craters
• Bodie Ghost Town
• McGee Canyon
• Carson Pass, Carson Creek and Monitor Pass
• Convict Lake
• Hot Creek
• Bodie SHP
• Chemung Mine and Masonic Town
• Crowley Lake
• Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
• Bishop Creek

Useful Resources

Eastern Sierra Fall Colors

June Lake Loop Website

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Fall Foliage in McGee Canyon

Discover California’s most beautiful secret canyon.

As the Sierra Nevada is getting ready for the cold season, it puts on a spectacular show. After the crowds of summer-tourists are gone and before the skiers hit the slopes is the time for photographers. Fall is the second season for us. After spring already brought color to these valleys once, a burst of color saturates the valleys again before the first snow dust settles on the higher elevations. Charge up your batteries and your spirits and head out to capture the amazing spectacle!

In search for color in the Sierra Nevada, we stumbled on McGee Canyon, not by design but by chance. After we had spent a couple of days investigating the more northern regions of the Sierra Nevada, the color of McGee Canyon completely outshone all other canyons. The surrounding peaks protect a pristine valley that you would not expect to find in California.

How to get there

Take the McGee Creek Rd. from Highway 395 at N37 35.232 W118 47.048. Follow the road for about 3.2 miles to the parking lot at the end of the road. The last mile is unpaved but you can drive any passenger car on it. The trail starts at the far end of the parking lot. Follow it as far as you wish.

GPS position

N37 32.674 W118 49.402

How to photograph fall foliage in McGee Canyon

It is tempting to start photography at the creek, but I recommend saving this place for your return trip. During our first ascend I spent too much time here and discovered that the valley was already in the shadow, cast by the surrounding peaks, as we got higher. We had to come back later in order to get the shots of the valley. As the sun moves west, it still lights the foliage of the lower parts of the canyon, while the lower angle of the sun adds more warmth.

McGee Canyon Aspens

Keep right on the trail to bypass other photographers and hike up into the canyon.

As you move around the bend, the full glory of McGee Canyon will become visible. Aspen trees cover large areas of the valley. For a few weeks in fall, their leaves will turn from green to gold before finally falling. This is the most beautiful time of the year.

Aspen Grove

From the first turn, you will look south, towards the sun. As the sunrays penetrate the translucent leafs, the aspens glow. This looks breathtaking but represents some challenges for photography. Shooting against the sun can trick your camera’s exposure meter. Check the histogram and compensate appropriately to avoid nasty surprises.

The surrounding mountains cast a blue shadow. The strong contrast makes the shadows very dark and the highlights blown out. You can digitally restore the shadows, but not the highlights. Always expose for the highlights.

Shoot different exposures for the foreground and for the background and blend them with Photomatix or any other suitable program.  Take several exposures at the same setting and reduce the noise in the shadow by stacking the pictures to average the noise content.

The valley looks gorgeous from the trail, but it may look even better when you venture from the trail. The waterfall in the picture at the top of the article was not visible until I hiked up the sloping mountain. Move your point of view often to look for even better pictures!

We all photograph the first few pictures from the trail. Some of us continue, while others work out different vantage points and try out different compositions. The latter take better pictures.

McGee Creek

The view changes completely once you enter the aspen groves. Looking back, the trees look duller, since they are now front lit. Still, many good compositions wait for you here, whether you shoot macro images of front lit leaves or use the trees to frame a mountain, a hiker or a waterfall (Horsetail Fall).

After hiking through the trees for a while, we decided to turn back and try our luck at June Lake instead of pressing on toward Big McGee Lake or Steelhead Lake. On the way down, we took the tour to McGee creek that we skipped on our way up. Take the trail to the right, as it branches on the way down. Access to the river is not easy, but you can find a few good spots allowing you to take more photographs of colorful trees and water. Use a tripod and a strong neutral density filter to slow down movement of the water. Exposure times above 1/5s will make the water look smooth and silky. Watch the wind during long exposures. If the leafs move, you need to keep your exposure time below 1/60s, preferably 1/125s, to prevent motion blur of foliage.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The best time to photograph McGee Canyon is during the fall, when leafs of the aspen trees turn the canyon golden or during the spring when wildflowers bloom on the meadows. The sun sets early in the canyon. I recommend photographing here during the day around noon.

Time required

Depending on your strength, you can chose to go the full distance to the lakes in which case it will take you at least 4 hours just for the hike, not considering the time it will take you for photography. You can hike to the aspens and back in 90 minutes. Add at least 30min to 1hr for photography.

Equipment

• Tripod
• Cable Release
• Medium Zoom
• Telephoto Lens
• CP filter to boost color on the foliage
• ND filter (water)

Difficulty Getting There

The high altitude of 2700m or 8800ft and the constant uphill trail make the hike difficult. The downhill hike will be much quicker.

Close Locations

• Crowley Lake
• Rock Creek Canyon
• Hot Creek Geologic Site
• Bishop Creek
• Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
• Saline Valley
• Convict Lake
• June Lake Loop
• Mammoth Lakes
• Devils Postpile National Monument
• Alabama Hills
• Mono Lake

Useful Resources

My Gallery of Eastern Sierra Fall colors

Wildflower viewing in McGee Canyon

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