Visiting Yosemite often has allowed me to explore many spots at different times of the year. With my recent interest in Astrolandscape photography i explored locations for possible night images. The location in Ahwahnee meadow seemed positioned for early season milky way. I had visited this site in 2021 but was unhappy with the results. Though no final images which i am happy to share resulted – i  did learn about the location access and position. This year (2022) i again planned a return trip in late April 2022.

The final image was the result of planning and execution.  I starting with scouting the location prior to sunset and sepup for a blue hour shot which i would use for the foreground. Since the milky way was not expected to rise until after 1 am I went to my room in El Portal and took a nap prior to returning to the previously scouted location to the nigh sky images.  I set up and dialed in my composition and image settings and let the camera shoot multiple images. From the image collection i selected 30 for stacking the sky used in the final image.  I then also created a time lapse of the Milky Way rising.

Happy Trails  – The Photo Alchemist

Joseph Hawkins