Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 The photographer's guide to Yosemite November 5, 2008
Yosemite is one of my favorite places and I own many books on the subject and usually am there shooting photos once a year. I love this book, first it inspires me then it teaches me and then it pushes me to go again. I hike and camp constantly and have books on the many places all over the country but this one is usually out for others to play with. If you havent been go if you have go again, it is nothing less than magnificent!!
Very good book if you dont have all the time in the world September 23, 2008
When I went to Yosemite in 2007 I saw this book at the visitor center and picked it up. But the trip was already planned so we didn't have much time to go through the book then. This year I went to eastern Sierras and chose to drive through the park (tioga pass road). So I went through specific sections of the book and could utilize my time very well, and came back with a bunch of shots (from nearby trails, lake view points, etc.) that I would have otherwise missed. For amateur or semi-pro photographers who don't have all the time in the world, but still want to come back with memorable pics from the Yosemite park, this is a very good guide. The book includes information on visiting in various seasons, where to go for the best pics, specific info on trails and sample pics from the end of such trails, etc... but also relevant info on when and how to expect moon rises and sunrises etc., dates of full and new moons, shooting rainbows in the various falls, etc. Overall, a very valuable book in a small package that I could pack in my photography backpack easily. I wish the author had books on Yosemite, Grand Canyon etc. but I guess for now I have to buy the guides by other photographer/writers.
great book, lots of good suggestions August 22, 2008
Even though I did not really use this book for the photography information, it has great suggstions of places to visit and good directions on how to get there. I highly recommend a trip to Sentinel Dome, what an amazing view from the top.
Fantastic book for any kind of photographer! July 22, 2008
Whether you're an amateur or a pro, this book has a lot to offer. It's loaded with information on how and when to take fabulous pictures while you're in Yosemite. It's well organized and it's easy to read. It's loaded with beautiful photographs that serve as good examples.
It's small and can be easily packed with your stuff as you venture into the valley.
A must-have for those who are visiting the park and want to take great pictures!
 Not as Well Organized as I Had Hoped June 2, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
There are many glowing reviews of this book and it does provide the goods on how and where to go to get good shots. The maps (5) and sections are also quite simple to read. In addition, the sequential numbering of the points of interest is a help.
I was disappointed to find so much coverage of photographic technique. While some technique discussions directly relate to the unique character of Yosemite (for example talking about color and the lack of it in granite) most of it feels more like filler, and indeed makes it harder to navigate to the sections of interest.
The book also lacks an index so the only useful navigation tool is the brief table of contents. Without that table of contents it would be hard to find any particular section and even with it, you're going to have to resort to man-made book marks to find what you want. For example if Pohono Bridge and Fern Spring caught your fancy but you didn't remember to book mark it or remember its number you'll have to resort to scanning all of the maps and/or all of the numbered interest points because despite the page of content, there is no entry for this viewpoint in the table of contents (and remember there is no index).
I would prefer the maps be all together at the front or back so that it would work better as a reference book. I would also have liked to see some more examples of "out of the way" hikes to desirable vistas.
Finally, I would like the author to have provided some sort of "effort vs eye-appeal" rating to help me focus on which sunrise locations are the "not to miss" areas and which are "ok". Perhaps the author can even suggest a few itineraries. These more useful things could replace the "choosing film" techniques section and others like it that are a bit basic and detract from the otherwise good "where and when" information.
I'm tempted to get Harold Davis's book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite & the High Sierra" just to make a comparison.
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