Olmsted Point

If you have ever been to Yosemite National Park, you certainly recognize one of the iconic features of the park, called Half Dome. There are many places in the park which present you a view of Half Dome. In this image, I took this shot of Half Dome from Olmsted Point, along the higher elevation of Yosemite, on the Tioga Pass (Rte. 120).

Now, the challenge of photographing Half Dome is trying to find a different view of it. In this case, I went the opposite direction. Instead of being predictable and heading down to the overlook, I instead walked across the street from the parking lot and up the granite hill. I put my 135mm telephoto prime lens on, walked around the granite a few minutes and then saw this view.

Now, anyone who has been to Olmsted Point, will certainly recognize yet another iconic feature in this photo. In this case, it is the pine tree that grows right out of the granite, very close to the parking lot. It is a magnet for point-and-shoot amateur photographers and tourists. The challenge with that icon is just taking a pic of it without tourists all around it, posing all weird, and whatever else.

I shot this photo late in the afternoon. I really like the sun backlighting, slightly from the right side, the pine tree. The huge granite slope in the shade behind it really makes the pine tree stand out. Lurking behind that granite hill, is of course, Half Dome.

I took this approach, after the clouds started dispersing, leaving a blank sky. Therefore, I needed to find a way to fill the frame up well. I think I have accomplished that. I can't recall anyone else using this perspective of the 2 icons, at Olmsted Point.