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| At the geographical center of Yosemite National Park, Mt. Hoffman above May Lake at daybreak. ©Steve Kossack 2006 Canon EOS 5D. Canon 24-105 f/4 IS |
Yosemite high camp expedition 2009. .....Register Now!
photographing the yosemite high country
There is not much in my mind that compares to the high country of Yosemite National Park. I've done a lot of hiking, backpacking and photographing there in years past and I have never tired of this magnificent place. A few years ago I started bringing people to share this unique experience with me and then moved to a formal landscape workshop format. But it wasn't easy. I've found I need a special combination of people, equipment and preparation. There are many considerations and limitations.
The workshop and expedition:
This is an undertaking that takes months of preparation physically. It is never to be taken lightly. A backpack, even done this way without having to carry a lot of things that the high camps provide, is a serious endeavor. Covering some 60 plus miles at elevations ranging between 7,000 and 10,000 feet is strenuous hiking! In some years we have done one or two of the high camps. In some the complete loop. It's an exploration of 6 Yosemite high camps and the terrain between them. These camps are 8 to 10 miles apart and offer some fantastic scenery as well as photo opportunities. The idea is to photograph the landscape in the back country without having to carry all the things one might if these camps did not provide bed, food and drinking water. Not carrying these things allows for photo gear instead. While all hiking in the high Sierra is strenuous, under these conditions anyone in reasonable shape and willing to train can take advantage of this situation. It's a very unique opportunity and permits are very hard to come by.
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| Fletcher Lake at both dawn and dusk. Singh-Ray Color intensifier and 2 stop ND grad. |
Sunset. Canon 5D, 24-105 IS with Singh-Ray Color Combo filter. |
The People:
Most need to train for an expedition of this difficulty. Especially me! A willingness to do this is essential and the ability to do the hike is attained with the commitment of at least a three month regimen of walking and carrying a loaded pack before the trip.
The group dynamic can be just as important. People who like sharing experiences with like-minded people will meet new friends while hiking and making images. The person who will benefit most from the magical opportunities that will take place realizes all this and willingly prepares. Yes, there have been those who disregard the need for preparation before the trip and try to participate despite the risks. Fortunately, not many. The National Park Service warns, as do I, of the many people who don't finish or enjoy the experience each year. The people that come physically prepared are rewarded with good company, unbelievable beauty, lasting images and memories.
The preparation:
Using the high camps simplifies backpacking considerably! In normal backpack situations, one must consider the length of the trip, how many days and miles will be covered and then how to cover it. The terrain will usually have a direct bearing on how and when the attempt will be made. How much food will be needed, where water might be found, or where camp is to be will determine much about the total weight to be carried. Water is heavy and every ounce becomes that much more important. Decisions about boots, pack and clothing are as important as where you hope to go! All of this may determine where and how you go ... and how comfortable you are with it. In the end it is all about the pack!
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| At Merced Lake the use of the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter transformed the choppy surface of the lake into a nice smooth glow. Canon 70-300 DO. 20 sec @ f/11 |
Equipment:
As you have no doubt noticed, I've mentioned equipment a lot! First is always the conditioning and then the tools. A backpack hike to anywhere at anytime takes preparation and the right tools for the job are key. Choosing a pack that will be functional is the basis of a successful expedition.
Boots are second on my list. The right ones "properly broken in" are your source of transportation. And a major flaw here will bring everything to a painful halt.
For those doing this backpack, the planning is a given. For us who photograph, it's a process that has many issues and strategies in addition to everything else. For certain, planning can be a complicated process and one that should never be undertaken without preparation and thought.
Most backpacking into wilderness is usually undertaken with the thought of going from point A to B and sometimes back again. Plans are made to accomplish this task with as much comfort as possible while still bringing enough to sustain the hiker over the entire trip - or at least until a destination can be made that will refurbish the supplies or supply those not carried. Only after all the necessary gear, food and water is figured into this equation, is anything else considered. In the end most bring what is absolutely necessary and little else beside their basic photo gear.
In years past I have carried a variety of photo equipment. From series 1 camera bodies to point & shoots. One year I did the complete loop of the camps with just my Hasslebald X-Pan and its three lenses. Again it's all about the weight. If you are comfortable with what you bring, you bring it. If not, the pack does not get any lighter as the trip gets longer.
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| Sunset from Sunrise high camp. Canon 5D, Canon 70-300 IS DO and Singh-Ray color combo filter. |
A minimum of gear is all that will be comfortable. I never forget that without the camps providing what they do, I would not have any photo gear with me at all! This is the time to get down to basics. Remember everything has to go into the backpack. A real backpack that is, not the silly things that pass as camera backpacks. I am referring to a backpack designed specifically for, and used, for serious backpacking. There is a world of difference here! Yes, such a backpack won't have the dividers and easy of open features that a camera pack provides, but camera gear is a luxury, not a necessity. Only after I have all the things needed for the trip, do my thoughts turn to photo gear. The thought process goes something like this:
1. tripod
2. camera body
3. a basic lens
4. a wider lens and possibly one longer.
5. film and/or storage.
6. battery power for a week
7. filters . .... and .. THAT'S IT!
Since photo gear has improved by leaps and bounds in the digital world, my intent was to select light-weight equipment that would deliver acceptable results by exploiting the technology of today. In some cases I think the goal was met and in others it wasn't.
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| Lightweight photo gear was the consideration . Over 60 miles of the Yosemite back country was covered and photographed with this combination. The entire kit is shown here |
Thanks to the loan of gear from several workshop participants/friends and Canon CPS, I assembled a Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4 IS and Canon 75-300 DO f/4-5.6 IS. The tripod was a Gitzo 1227 with Acratech Ultimate ballhead. Also along for the ride was the Canon angle finder C, Color Combo, Vari-ND, four 4X6" graduated Neutral density filters from Singh-Ray, 3 batteries for the 5D and 8 gig of data storage (only 4 gig was actually used). Adding a bubble level, lens cloth and air blower to round out the kit I was many pounds lighter than my normal gear. In backpacking, weight is measured in ounces not pounds! I was willing to give up some quality and the luxury of the bells and whistles in order lighten the load. The compromises were in most cases worth it!
In general the sacrifices were not that many but they showed in both performance and sometimes in the finished print. The Canon 5D performed as expected in most cases. The camera was fine for the application. It did malfunction in a couple of instances and had to be "rebooted" on occasion. The shutter stuck open during one of the most glorious sunrises at May Lake in memory and it took me some time to finally, just pull the battery. I've had experience with previous Canon digital and film models below the series 1 level and I think all that needs to be said for all of them is that they are not series 1 cameras. This explains most things for me and I was not expecting the 5 D to be any more than what it was, and with this always in mind... it was acceptable in most cases! Yes, less than a 100% viewfinder is, well, less. The auto focus leaves a lot to be desired and the light meter even more.
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| Looking toward the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne at sunrise near Glen Aulin. Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 DO IS, Singh-Ray Color Combo with three stop Sigh-Ray graduated ND filters |
With images that needed little detail, the chip in the 5D did remarkably well. In the images I made that did have fine detail there is certainly a noticeable lack of resolution but I think it is important to note that this difference in print quality still makes the 5D the logical choice for this situation.
I had mixed results with my two chosen lenses. The 24 - 105 f/4 IS was very good in most cases. I was able to save 9 ounces in weight with this lens over my 24 - 70 2.8L. The extra reach was very nice also. However, an f/4 lens is not a 2.8! This, coupled with the above drawbacks of the 5D, made certain shooting situations very difficult at times. Using this combination of camera and lens with my Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter gave the light meter fits! This lens works differently from the 24-70 2.8 also, in the respect that the long end is achieved when fully extending the barrel and not the other way around. This took a while to get use to. The barrel itself moves rather easily when touched and this also caused problems for me when using hand held filters. I often inadvertently changed both the focal length and focus. Once I mastered the downside, I became very comfortable with this lens and used it almost exclusively. The main reason being I did not like the other Canon lens I had at all!
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| Alpenglow and moonrise at 9,000 feet. |
The Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS DO has been touted by many. I never argue with success and think that my less-than-satisfactory experience with it can be attributed to a number of things. The first would be me! I was forced to break one of my own rules--never go into the field with untested or unfamiliar equipment. Since I borrowed this lens from Canon CPS and they have a time frame in which the loans is made, out of necessity I received the lens only a few hours before I left for our backpack. There was also no information about the lens provided. So in essence I ventured out with this lens totally unprepared and unfamiliar with its use. This could have added to the reasons why I came back with a huge number of unusable frames. Some out of focus, some suffered from depth of field problems and some from movement. Another reason might have been that I got a defective lens or the most logical conclusion to me ...... this lens is just not for me!
I have prior experience, although not a lot, with the Canon 400 f/4 IS DO and I didn't care for it much, either, but not to the degree I came to dislike this one. The lack of contrast was apparent even on the camera's LCD and I found the shadow areas lacking in detail when I got to post processing. I also did not like the rendering of color in a lot of cases. I came up with, in a few cases, what I can only describe as pixilated saturation. Another drawback for me was its 58MM filter mount making a huge step-up ring necessary to use my 77 MM filters. Again the drawback for both the 5D combination with this lens was more than my patience could handle at times. The big plus ......... it weighs almost nothing and is very small and at 300 MM at the long end, it is very appealing!
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| A unique view from the high country. Most of Yosemite's landmarks are visible. From the left, Clouds Rest at over 9,000 ft. Half Dome, Glacier point, Sentinel Dome, Sentinel rock, El Capitan (just visible top far right) and North Dome with Tanaya Canyon in the foreground. |
The Shoot:
This was the most photo gear and the lightest pack I've ever carried in doing the Yosemite high country. The comfort gained made a great deal of difference in the way I felt when the shooting opportunities presented themselves. Most of the photography was usually in the morning before we left the various camps and then again after we reached our next destination camp, the energy saved on the trail made the shooting experience all the more enjoyable.
I was delighted that most of the equipment that I brought worked well. My Gregory backpack was proven functional and trail worthy once again. Being familiar with the pack made its use easy from the start. Use of the tripod mounting system off my various Lowepro camera backpacks made the balance of the tripod on my pack stable and well balanced. The downside being that I had to dismount the tripod every time I needed to get into the main compartments. This inconvenience is far out weighed by the ease in carrying a heavy and cumbersome object that would never be considered in usual backpacking gear.
My choice of filters was rewarded in many ways at many times. Without the luxury of a shooting vest, I condensed my filter kit considerably. Filters are not heavy but when every ounce is important, they can't all go with you! When I was in shooting situations I put the filters (always in protective pouches) in my hiking shorts cargo pockets.
The highlight for me was the Fallen Tree image from Merced Lake. I carried the Singh-Ray Vari-ND for over 60 miles! This filter made a twenty second exposure possible in bright sunset light rendering the light chop and shimmer off the lake, a "glow" that carried the image!
There were not a lot of moments, using the gear I had with me, that I wished for more or something else. I was delighted that I brought what I had in all but a few instances and I was more than willing to learn as I went. I realized that whatever I came away with, both in photos and memories, would be the reward for the all the months of planning and preparation. I wasn't disappointed!
See more images from our expedition
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Your comments are always welcome. f8andbethere@cableone.net