Legendary photographer Ansel Adams popularized photography of Yosemite National Park. The parks many waterfalls, giant sequoias, iconic granite rocks, lakes and wildlife continue to be ideal settings for picture taking. Numerous operators offer photo tours of the park for a few hours or as long as a week.
Park rangers lead regularly scheduled photography walks throughout the year. The walks are free and last just under two hours. Visitors can register for photo tours at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Village. The gallery itself also offers photography classes and tours for a fee. The popular In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams day tour is offered several times a week. Multi-day tours include programs that focus on black and white or digital photography and accommodate all skill levels. Participants stay overnight in park lodgings. The gallery sells photography supplies, books and art works.
The Ansel Adams Gallery
Village Mall
Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
888-361-7622
anseladams.com
Y Explore delivers customized hikes and photography workshops for individuals and small groups. Its professional photo guides have lived and worked at Yosemite for more than 20 years and help lead participants of all skill level to unique locations. The Yosemite Valley Icons Photo Session and Icons of the High Sierra Photo Session are day tours that shoot at sites such as the granite shores of Tenaya Lake, Lembert Dome and Tuolumne Meadows. Masters Workshops tours include a seasonal wildflower tour, waterfalls of Yosemite tour and Merced River workshops, each covering two to three mile gentle hikes of the areas.
Y Explore LLC
P.O. Box 4951
Sonora, CA 95370
800-886-8009
yexplore.com
Evergreen Lodge is a classic mountain resort with fully furnished cabins and a wealth of recreational activities like biking, snowshoeing and rafting. Guests can also book private, customized photography expeditions for one to three people. The beauty of Yosemite is explored on half-day or full-day excursions. The exact locations to visit and skills taught are tailored to individual preferences.
Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite
33160 Evergreen Road
Groveland, CA 95321
800-93-LODGE
evergreenlodge.com
Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris lead photography tours around the world and in America’s national parks. The annual one week Yosemite in Spring tour is an intensive journey through the park’s most scenic spots. Springtime meltwater finds cascades like Horsetail, Staircase and Ribbon at their most dramatic. The trip is scheduled around the May full moon so that photographers get a rare chance to shoot a moonbow, a rainbow created when moonlight hits the mist of Yosemite Falls.
Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris
P.O. Box 655
Vashon Island, WA 98070
206-463-5383
Phil Hawkins Photography operates Yosemite Photo Workshops, intensive weekend, five-day or week-long photography tours of the park. Special attention is given to how to best capture flowing water and adapt to seasonal lighting conditions. Participants have the chance to photograph sunsets and take pictures at night, which few other tours offer.
Phil Hawkins Photography
5132 N. Palm, #118
Fresno, CA 93704
559-307-7773
yosemitephotoworkshops.com
