Before we went on holiday to Northern California in September 2016 I researched photography guides and workshops, and among the recommendations was the Ansel Adams Gallery in the Yosemite Valley itself.
I had a great day with one of their staff photographers, Kirk Keeler. Not only did he take me round many of the classic Yosemite views, but he gave me a lot of useful landscape photography tips on both composition and technique after he'd established my level of knowledge. Strongly recommended.
https://www.facebook.com/KirkKeelerPhotography/
http://anseladams.com/ansel-adams-gallery-in-yosemite/
After a beautiful pastel-shaded dawn, the weather unfortunately closed in with cloud and intermittent drizzle, but Kirk knew where the best light would be at different times of day and I could make the best of the less-than perfect conditions.
We almost gave up early and went for a beer, but our persistence was amply rewarded at the end of the day when the forecast clearing weather arrived bang on cue immediately before sundown, and a glorious cloud gap appeared on the western horizon just as we crested the granite cap on Sentinel Dome.
Most of the people on the summit were facing west with their camera phones, but the two of us with proper cameras and tripods concentrated on the fantastic lightshow on the cloud-scapes over the eastern end of Yosemite valley and the Clark Range...
