California, home to lush forests, mountains, deserts, and hundreds of miles of coastline. From the redwood forests in the north, to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the east, to the Mojave Desert in the south. California has some of the most amazing scenery in the United States. The state claims the tallest point in the lower 48 with Mount Whitney to the lowest point at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, only about 85 miles apart as the crow flies. California also has some of the oldest, tallest, and largest trees in the world.
This film was shot over the span of almost five years beginning in late 2018 and is my first attempt at a full length timelapse film. Being a California native I found the subject of my own home state as the perfect project. During that time I shot over 43,000 images as part of this project producing over a hundred individual timelapse clips from some of my most favorite locations in the state. And while there have been many timelapse films on California, this is my version which I’m proud to share.
Special thanks to the many friends who accompanied me on many of the shoots, often to help carry heavy camera gear over miles of hiking trails and spent many hours waiting around while my cameras clicked away. Their help and support it greatly appreciated.
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:27 Yosemite Falls 1:48 Yosemite Firefall 2:31 Yosemite Valley 4:18 Yosemite Stars View 5:05 Vernal Falls 7:06 Tenaya Lake 8:57 Rafting in Merced River 10:48 Glacier Point Yosemite 12:14 Half Dome 14:36 El Capitan 15:18 Bridalveil Fall 16:35 Mariposa Grove 17:25 Tunnel View 18:04 Taft Point 18:39 Tuolumne Meadows
Ever see a rainbow at night? Moonbows (aka lunar rainbows) are a rare and mesmerizing phenomenon caused by light from a full moon shining on rain or the spray of a large waterfall. This first-of-its-kind video captures the famous moonbows of Yosemite National Park in a way that has never been seen before – by filming at real-time speed!
Until recently, the only way to film by moonlight was to use timelapse to gain more light through longer exposures. While timelapse is a useful filming technique, the fast motion doesn’t illustrate the immense scale of Yosemite’s waterfalls. I wanted to capture a true-to-life moonbow experience using a cinematic 24 frames-per-second frame rate. To meet this goal, I started experimenting with a new camera, fast lenses, and advanced noise-reduction software during the 2016 moonbow season. Every April, May, and June since then I would collect more footage and refine my low-light shooting skills while enjoying the incredible beauty of Yosemite in spring. In all, the footage in this video was filmed during 11 separate visits to Yosemite.
Filming at 24 frames-per-second allowed me to capture brief details that would easily be missed by timelapse. The shooting star (see if you can spot it!) was my favorite fleeting moment. I also enjoyed being able to film the fine textures of the falling water, the hypnotic ebb and flow of the wind-borne mist, and the excited reactions from people enjoying Yosemite at night. Filming at normal speed also accommodated live audio recording of Yosemite’s nocturnal soundscape.
In addition to the technical challenges of filming moonbows, I also needed to know when and where to see them. As with rainbows, moonbows require a precise alignment of the light source (the full moon, in this case), an area of rain or mist in the air, and the person observing. Using 3D-modeling software, I developed a method to visualize when moonbows could be seen for a given location. These calculations have helped me discover new compositions for photographing this striking phenomenon, and in 2018 I created the website YosemiteMoonbow.com so that I could share this information with others who want to see the moonbow from popular vantage points in the park.
Moonbows are just as common in nature as rainbows, but they often go unnoticed because human vision isn’t as sensitive to color in low light. When you first arrive at the base of the falls, you might see the bow as a gray arc in the mist, but as your eyes get acclimated to the dark, the moonbow will grow more vivid, especially when wind intensifies the spray. Compared to humans, cameras are much better at perceiving color in the dark, easily revealing the hidden beauty of moonlit nights.
Capturing the Yosemite moonbow with video hasn’t been easy. These dark scenes are a stretch for even the best low-light cameras, to say nothing of the challenges of trying to do quality photography while being sprayed with water in the cold dark of night. But that’s all part of the moonbow experience. There’s something a little wild about heading out into the forest at night to stand in the spray of a raging waterfall, but it’s always a good time!
“Sunday Morning” takes us for a walk on the wild side, at California’s Yosemite National Park. Videographer: Lance Millbrand.
Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. In Yosemite Village are shops, restaurants, lodging, the Yosemite Museum and the Ansel Adams Gallery, with prints of the photographer’s renowned black-and-white landscapes of the area.
Yosemite National Park, scenic mountain region in east-central California, U.S. It is situated about 140 miles (225 km) east of the city of San Francisco and some 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Sacramento. Devils Postpile National Monument lies about 15 miles (25 km) to the east, and Kings Canyon National Park is about 40 miles (65 km) to the southeast. The park, surrounded on all sides by national forest lands, encompasses 1,189 square miles (3,080 square km). It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. Park headquarters are located at Yosemite Village in Yosemite Valley, in the west-central part of the park.
“Sunday Morning” takes us amidst the splendors of Yosemite National Park in California. Videographer: Scot Miller.
Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. In Yosemite Village are shops, restaurants, lodging, the Yosemite Museum and the Ansel Adams Gallery, with prints of the photographer’s renowned black-and-white landscapes of the area.
Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.
Yosemite National Park is home to firefall, one of the most amazing natural wonders that happens only a few times every year. During mid to late February, Horsetail Fall lights up with the sunset and looks like it is flowing lava.
These gorgeous videos will transport you to National Parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, all from the comfort of your own home.
Video timeline: 0:00 – Intro to 12 Stunning National Parks 0:26 – The Grand Canyon: How It Was Formed 2:38 – Yellowstone: Human-Bear Interaction Spirals 3:40 – Glacier National Park: Awe-inspiring Peaks 6:49 – Yellowstone: The Grand Prismatic Spring 9:24 – Yellowstone: The War Against Poachers 11:58 – Yellowstone: A Coyote Preys on Swans 14:42 – Yosemite: A 1970s Riot 16:19 – Yellowstone: Strenuous Grizzly Courtship 18:33 – Yellowstone: The View from Above 19:54 – Jasper National Park: A Controlled Inferno 21:45 – Yellowstone: The World’s Most Famous Geyser 24:38 – Yellowstone: A Sneaky Bobcat Hunts
Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. In Yosemite Village are shops, restaurants, lodging, the Yosemite Museum and the Ansel Adams Gallery, with prints of the photographer’s renowned black-and-white landscapes of the area.
Boomers Daily 