Last of the Eastern Sierras

I checked out a few other lakes and creeks for the rest of the trip. The colors at Convict Lake were pretty good however as with the entire trip there were no clouds.

Classic shot before sunrise

A grove behind the lake that was pretty much bare



I really only focused on the milky way shot.


This shot I combined two photos. I took a longer, lower ISO shot and used it for the foreground. I also took a normal f/2.8, 25sec, 3200 ISO shot for the stars. I'll need to take a longer foreground shot next time to get more details.


I also stopped by Lundy Canyon. The lake had some nice colors, but I wanted to check out the beaver ponds behind. After the lake there is a mile or so dirt road that leads back there. Really cool area, I will have to come back when it's peaking.





I also stopped by McGee Creek. Another really cool area for shots of the aspens along the creek. Colors here were better than last time but I came mid-day and the sun was casting shadows for the most part. I had to find some shots where the aspens were blocking the sun. I found a pretty nice area being back lit causing the aspens to light up.



Every time I was in a spot shooting, this lady kept getting in my shot. I swear she would just walk right up and plant herself right there.....so I took a picture of her.



I focused on some close-ups as well. There were a bunch of fallen leaves, and it was cold enough to where there was a bit of ice on the creek.

I also took a sunset shot above Twin Falls in Mammoth Lakes, but again no color so nothing great. There was some ice on the rocks tho.



That same night I also went out to Alkali Lake for another Milky Way shot. Wasn't as dark this night but the Milky Way was still pretty bright.



As always, I have to post some food stuff. My condo was a minute walk to Toomey's so I ate there every night. Probably the best place to eat in Mammoth.

Elk Chops

Fish tacos - probably my favorite dish there

Sliders


We'll be heading out to Montana De Oro for another camping trip next month. Hopefully the weather will be a bit more dramatic as there are some nice rock formations there for seascape shots.

Brandon Yoshizawa
B.A.Y | photography
www.bay-photography.com

Fall in June Lake Loop

After the Bishop area, I headed up towards June Loop across from Mono Lake. Reports here still showed June at around 40-50% so I wasn't expecting much. I woke up for sunrise at Silver Lake. Unfortunately there wasn't a single cloud the whole trip which made for lousy sunrise and sunset shots. Silver lake color was coming along nicely tho.

First light on Carson Peak with some ducks that decided they wanted to be in the shot.

There was fog on the water so I lingered around until the sun came up.



Got a few with some fishermen too.



An abstract of the colors reflected off Silver Lake



After Silver Lake, I headed to June Lake. Color here was still just starting.

I drove around the area a bit, and there were a few nice groves full of yellow.

I decided to come back for some Milky Way shots, as I have never taken them from this area. I came back after dinner and drove down to June Lake. In the fall months, the Milky Way is best seen after sunset when the richest part is still visible. This sure beats the winter months where best viewing times are pre-dawn. The night I went was a new moon, so I was hoping for a dark sky but it wasn't nearly as dark as when I came last time in the winter. I took a few shots at f/2.8, 25 sec, ISO-3200 and called it a night.



This is a single exposure. Lights are from the town. I did try a few where I painted the foreground rocks with my headlamp, but I didn't really like how they looked.

Future trips I may start stacking shots to reduce noise, or start taking a separate exposure for the foreground. Nonetheless, it came out pretty good. Next update will be from Convict Lake.

Brandon Yoshizawa

B.A.Y | photography

www.bay-photography.com

Bishop part 2 - South fork

I spent most of the day at the North fork, so I only had a little bit of time to explore the south fork towards South Lake before I had to make my way up to Mammoth Lakes. There was some really nice color along the road, lots of different shades as the aspens were in different stages. Instead of exploring the groves by Bishop Creek, I focused on some abstract and close-up shots of the trees.



The colors of the trees contrast nicely against the rock formations. A lot of the back roads had some nice color too, I just didn't have time to explore.



One of the areas that is always clogged up with photographers is Mist Falls with the house that sits in the middle of a nice grove.



Lastly, a pano near Mist Falls



It's crazy how different the colors are depending on if it's shaded, or which way the sun is hitting them. I like shooting them back lit, as it really enhances the colors.

I spent the rest of the trip up towards Mammoth Lakes and used it as my home base. I also checked out the June Loop area, Lundy Lake, Convict Lake, and Rock and McGee Creek. I still have to sort through them all so I'll update them on future posts.

Brandon Yoshizawa

B.A.Y | photography

www.bay-photography.com

Chasing Fall - Bishop North Fork

Took a trip up to the Eastern Sierras to photograph some of the fall colors. Even with all the sites out there that provide updates, it's still hard to time especially since the elevation changes make different areas peak at different times. The Bishop area usually peaks before the Mammoth area and June Lake Loop.

I headed up early Thursday am and spent the day around the North and South fork of the 168 towards North/South Lake. Right past Aspendell there is a nice grove that intersects with Bishop Creek. Colors were pretty good here from a hint of orange to some still just turning.




After taking a few, I kept heading up the 168 and stopped off at Aspendell. Colors here up the mountain were mixed as well, some at peak, some blown off by the strong winds.



I hiked down to the basin to check out some of the colors. The stream that is usually flowing was pretty mellow so I stood right in there to take some pictures. Unfortunately, it was mid-day and the sun was harsh.



I walked around the Sabrina campground a bit then headed up the road to North Lake. The lava flow on the mountain was past peak and a lot of the aspens along the shore were bare as well. The road had some nice color tho, which was cool to drive through it all.



Last stop after North Lake was Lake Sabrina. There are a few pullouts on the way that overlook Bishop Creek and some nice groves.



The grove right before Lake Sabrina was in full color with some nice vibrant oranges. I stopped by Lake Sabrina but the water level was so low that it was almost all rocks. Crazy to see since we are used to coming here, having to cross through water to get to an island to fish. I didn't bother taking any pictures here. It was getting late and I still wanted to head down the south fork towards South Lake. I'll post those next once I edit them.

Brandon Yoshizawa
B.A.Y | photography
www.bay-photography.com