Yosemite Valley in the Wintertime

Sometimes, traveling to some of the more popular national parks can be a bit of a drag especially if you go in the summertime and especially bad if you go on a popular weekend like Memorial Day or Labor Day.  Sure, the park might be a national treasure, but if you’re standing 3 or 4 people deep in a crowd gathered at the base of Yosemite Falls, you might not find the bounty so enjoyable.  If you have enjoyed Yosemite in the summer months when the weather is nice you probably know what I’m talking about.  For that reason, my wife and I, along with some photography friends of ours, took a trip to Yosemite in winter a few years ago to see what it would be like.  We couldn’t have been more delighted.

We went up in January when there was plenty of snow and very few people.  Obviously, you need to be prepared for some colder weather, but you will be heavily rewarded with uncrowded vistas.  The park’s attractions are so enjoyable when you don’t have to deal with crowds and the traffic that can often take some of your focus off of what you really came to see.

The texture of the sheer granite faces that surround the valley is easily seen with the snow that lines every available perch.  The high altitude mixed with the scent of the evergreens and the crisp winter air invigorate you like a brisk morning run.  Little details that you might not notice otherwise become attractions in their own right like the snow covered reeds at the edge of a pond.

If you’re looking to do something a little different next winter, definitely give Yosemite a shot.  The park is just as enjoyable and breathtaking.  And, you will have more of it to yourself!

Our Car in the Yosemite Valley

Snow Covered Reeds

Temescal Canyon – First Attempt

A friend of mine suggested the Temescal Canyon waterfall as a subject for one of my 365 photos.  I figured that if I went when there was some rain that I might get a little more water going down the falls for a more dramatic photo.

Well, it turns out that if you get too much rain, there is a bit of a flash flood that blocks the trail to the waterfall (I’ve never been up on this particular hike).  So when I got to the water that blocked my progress, I stopped there and took a picture.  On the way back down the hill, I snapped one more of a nice part wooden fence that runs along the creek.

As for the water shots, I did drive by the beach to see if it would be worth a go-out.  It wasn’t.  It was choppy and crumbly with heavy onshore winds.

The end of the road

Wooden Fence

Low Tide Sunset

While it wasn’t the mega low minus tide we had last Sunday, we did have a 0.06 ft low tide and it happened just after sundown which was a cool thing.  I took my son, Nate, down to the beach and saw all sorts of cool seashells and sand dollars.  I nabbed a shot of a sand dollar while Nate was busy hunting for sea shells.

There were too many clouds on the horizon for the entire sky to get lit up, but about 15 minutes after the sun went down, we did finally get a little color.

Sand Dollar

Nate at a zero tide

Tanker after sunset

The Jetty

The Jetty.  That’s pretty much how most locals refer to it.  I guess if you want to be more specific you could call it the jetty at Middles, but if you just called it The Jetty, most every surfer from Manhattan Beach to Ballona Creek would know what you were referring to.  This is the biggest jetty between Playa del Rey and Palos Verdes and also seems to get the biggest waves in the South Bay during any winter swell.

There is no convenient parking for this location.  Wherever you park, you’re looking at about a half mile hike to get there.  Maybe that’s the reason why I’ve put off shooting this particular jetty.  Every other place, I was able to park my car and walk across the beach to get the shot.  Now that I’ve shot this one, I can take a break from shooting piers and jetties for a while.

If you want to see this place breaking on a big day, check out this YouTube video of Tyler Hatzikian.

The Jetty, Perspective 1

The Jetty, Perspective 2

The Jetty, Perspective 3

Santa Monica Sunset

I wasn’t able to do a shoot this morning because I had to be at work early.  Not to worry, I figured.  Since I work at the Water Gardens, if I could get out of work at a decent hour, then I’d be able to head west a few blocks to shoot a nice sunset at the Santa Monica Pier.

Well, I was treated to one of those very vibrantly colored sunsets that just makes you feel so alive and happy to be outside.  The weather was warm and there was hardly a breeze in the air.  It really doesn’t get much better than this – at least not in Los Angeles.

I know the image is a bit cliché but given that I’m only 2 weeks into my 365 and I hadn’t shot anything else all day, I wasn’t about to let unoriginality stall what will be a yearlong project.  I figure I can be more original some other day.  So I plopped my tripod down not too far from a few other photographers who probably walked away with same images I got.

Santa Monica Pier, Perspective 1

Santa Monica Pier, Perspective 2

Roller Coaster and Ferris Wheel

The Serpent Jetty

It’s funny how you can live so close to something and not ever notice it.  That is certainly the case for me and this jetty in Playa Del Rey.  I have even hung out on the beach about 200 yards from this jetty and just never actually looked at it.  I gotta say that this is one of the coolest looking jetties I’ve seen.  I don’t know the name of this jetty, but I’m going to call it the Serpent Jetty until somebody corrects me.  I’m sure that the serpentine curve of the jetty serves some interesting purpose, but today it just served as a nice subject for my 365.

Serpent Jetty, Perspective 1

Serpent Jetty, Perspective 2

Serpent Jetty, Perspective 3