Cliché for a reason

Autumn Snow, Valley View, Yosemite
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
1/15 second
F/16
ISO 100
24 mm

It’s actually even a cliché just to say it, but some things really are “cliché for a reason.” And as much as I try to avoid the cliché shots in Yosemite, sometimes they just can’t be helped.

My Yosemite Fall Color workshop began yesterday, and even though I’d spent all day Saturday in the park, yesterday morning a storm filled Saturday’s blue skies with rain and I felt like I should go check on the conditions before we started. The wet weather had slowed me enough that I didn’t really have time to take pictures, but when I found not only the red and yellow leaves I’d seen on Saturday, and the swirling clouds I’d hoped for, but also Yosemite Valley’s colorful trees and meadows etched with snow, I was tempted at every turn to reach for my camera. Nevertheless, with the exception of a brief breakdown at Cook’s Meadow, I managed to resist temptation.

Unfortunately, the Cook’s Meadow stop had put me even more behind schedule, so I told myself while approaching Valley View that any stop here would be just reconnaissance. And anyway, Valley View images are a dime a dozen, clichés that I’d done more than my share to perpetuate over the years. Then I got there….

I mean seriously, cliché or not (deadline or not), how does a photographer pass up a scene like this? With my group meeting me in just an hour, I really, really didn’t have time for pictures, which is exactly what I kept reminding myself as I leaped from my car, snatched my camera and tripod, and sprinted down to the river. I only snapped four frames, two vertical and two horizontal, before racing back to the car and toward my impending rendezvous.

It’s images like this that remind me that nature’s beauty transcends any human judgement of “cliché.” Pro photographers, myself included, can get a little snobbish about frequently photographed scenes. And while I think it’s important to take the time to find a unique perspective, sometimes it’s best to let Mother Nature speak for herself.

Happy ending

I made it to my workshop with minutes to spare, conducted a lightning-fast orientation, and hustled everyone back outside as quickly as possible. We ended up circling Yosemite Valley several times, photographing without a break until dark. I heard no complaints.

A gallery of clichés

Half Dome Sunset Reflection, Mirror Lake, Yosemite

Sunrise Trio, El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite

Captive Crescent, Yosemite

Winter Reflection, El Capitan, Yosemite

Wonderland, Yosemite Valley

Moonlight Magic, El Capitan, Yosemite

Spring Moon Reflection, Half Dome, Yosemite

Half Dome and Rainbow, Yosemite

Moonbow and Big Dipper, Lower Yosemite Fall, Yosemite

Leaf, Bridalveil Creek, Yosemite

Autumn Moonrise, Half Dome and the Merced River, Yosemite

Sunset Fire, Olmsted Point, Yosemite

Supermoon, Half Dome and El Capitan, Yosemite

Autumn Snow, Valley View, Yosemite

Moon!, Half Dome, Yosemite

Dogwood, Merced River, Yosemite

Autumn Snow, El Capitan, Yosemite

Fall Into Winter, Valley View, Yosemite

Lightning Bolt, Half Dome, Glacier Point, Yosemite

Moonlight Cathedral, Valley View, Yosemite

Autumn Leaf, Bridalveil Creek, Yosemite

El Capitan Reflection, Yosemite

Snow and Autumn Leaves, Yosemite

White-Out, Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite

Autumn Light, Yosemite

Double Rainbow, Yosemite Valley

Rocks and Reflection, El Capitan, Yosemite

Half Dome at Sunset, Olmsted Point, Yosemite

Cassiopeia Above El Capitan, Yosemite

Spring Moonrise, Bridalveil Fall and the Merced River Canyon, Yosemite

Sunset Storm, Half Dome from Sentinel Dome, Yosemite

Fresh Snow, Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite

Half Dome Half Moon, Yosemite

On the Rocks, El Capitan and the Merced River, Yosemite

Autumn Glow, Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite

Yosemite Moonbow and Wildflowers photo workshop

Winter Arrives, El Capitan, Yosemite

Yosemite Sky, Tunnel View, Yosemite (2016)

Winter Light, El Capitan, Yosemite

Winter Storm Reflection, El Capitan, Yosemite

Forest Autumn, Yosemite

First Light, Yosemite Valley

Elm in Blizzard, Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite

Moonlight Reflection, El Capitan and the Three Brothers, Yosemite

Daybreak, El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite

Spring Reflection, El Capitan and Three Brothers, Yosemite

First Snow, El Capitan, Yosemite

Autumn Shroud, El Capitan, Yosemite

Big Moon, Valley View, Yosemite

Winter Cascade, Cascade Creek, Yosemite

Horsetail Fall, El Capitan, Yosemite

Winter Blue Hour Reflection, Half Dome, Yosemite

Floating, Merced River, Yosemite

Yosemite Moonbow and Dogwood photo workshop

Moon and Morning Star, Yosemite

Storm’s End, Tunnel View, Yosemite

Half Dome Lightning Strike, Glacier Point, Yosemite

Spring Snow, El Capitan, Yosemite

Dogwood Above the Merced River, Near Fern Spring, Yosemite

Floating Dogwood, Yosemite

Sunset Moonrise, Tunnel View, Yosemite

Lunar Kiss, Half Dome and Sentinel Dome, Yosemite

Sunset Palette, Half Dome from Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park