2024 Travelers' Choice
Stay Up To Date On All Things
Backcountry Journeys
Backcountry Journeys
Our Photography Community
Our Blog
From articles on the latest camera gear, to trip reports from our latest expeditions, our blog is meant for all interested in travel photography.Our Webinars
Our regularly hosted webinars provide photography instruction from our own guides on a wide range of topics.Our Education Portal
Explore our library of articles that cover everything from common questions, to in-depth guides on how to achieve that perfect shot.Community Testimonials
We're proud to foster an amazing group of photo travelers, and here you can find their stories from their past adventures.About Backcountry Journeys
Why Choose Backcountry Journeys
If you're considering a photography tour, hear why Backcountry Journeys delivers the best experience in the industry.Frequently Asked Questions
If you're new to photography tours, or new to BCJ, you can find our common travel questions here.Fitness Levels
Our trips vary on physical intensity, and by reviewing our fitness levels, you can find out which trips may be more challenging, or aligned more closely with your comfort level.Meet The Crew
We've built an amazing team of experienced guides, and dedicated office staff that elevate your travel experience. Get to know their backgrounds, and hear their stories.Travel Desk
You can review our various payment, and travel policies here, along with resources regarding international travel.Gift Certificates
Give the gift of photo adventure! We offer gift certificates that can be applied to any of our upcoming tours.Loyalty Program
We reward our frequent photo adventurers with exclusive discounts on amazing photography tours.Contact Us
If you need to get in touch with our office staff, or have additional business inquiries, you can find our information here.Resources For Photographers
About Our Company
JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP - THE BCJ TRIBE
JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP - THE BCJ TRIBE
Trip Report: Yosemite in Fall - October 2022
Trip Report: Yosemite in Fall - October 2022
by Grant Ordelheide
The first real photography assignment I ever had was photographing for a new travel magazine about Yosemite National Park. I clearly remember telling the editor over the phone this would be well within my capabilities, only to hang up and wonder if that was true.
As a college student with no real summer plans, I threw myself fully into this project. They probably paid me for about ten days worth of work, but I spent the whole summer camping just outside the park boundaries on National Forest land, making a daily commute to the valley to work on the massive shot list my editors had sent over.
I knew this was a door cracking open for me so I wasn’t going to give anything less than the best I could. Slowly but surely I collected the needed photographs, and thankfully the magazine was happy with what I was able to deliver.
As a college student with no real summer plans, I threw myself fully into this project. They probably paid me for about ten days worth of work, but I spent the whole summer camping just outside the park boundaries on National Forest land, making a daily commute to the valley to work on the massive shot list my editors had sent over.
I knew this was a door cracking open for me so I wasn’t going to give anything less than the best I could. Slowly but surely I collected the needed photographs, and thankfully the magazine was happy with what I was able to deliver.
My previous experiences in Yosemite were short, a weekend here and there. I liked it, but that summer I spent there really changed the way I thought about the park. I fell in love with the rhythm of the valley and the towering walls above. I moved beyond the valley and hiked miles and miles in the high county and giant sequoia groves.
Yosemite became a special place for me. Since then I have visited the park in some capacity almost every year for the last decade. Each time I pull into the valley it feels familiar, like I am coming home. Half Dome, El Cap, and Cathedral Peak all feel like old friends.
Yosemite became a special place for me. Since then I have visited the park in some capacity almost every year for the last decade. Each time I pull into the valley it feels familiar, like I am coming home. Half Dome, El Cap, and Cathedral Peak all feel like old friends.
So I was very excited to have an opportunity to return to Yosemite and share that experience with a couple of fall color workshop groups.
Yosemite is amazing in the fall and fellow guide Michael Wichman and I knew we were going to have a productive two weeks. There may be places with more color like like Colorado or New England, but Yosemite’s fall color acts as the perfect accent to some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.
We had two trips, a hiker and a standard, both originating in Fresno. I always enjoy driving up from Fresno through the Mariposa entrance of the park because it means we will enter the valley through the Wawona Tunnel and get our first view of the cliffs at the iconic Tunnel View.
It is a great introduction to the valley and I love hearing the “oohs and ahhs” as we first lay eyes on El Cap and Bridalveil Falls. This is perhaps the iconic view of Yosemite Valley. A view that has captivated photographers since the days of Ansel Adams. Even today, there are always photographers set up here around the clock.
Yosemite is amazing in the fall and fellow guide Michael Wichman and I knew we were going to have a productive two weeks. There may be places with more color like like Colorado or New England, but Yosemite’s fall color acts as the perfect accent to some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.
We had two trips, a hiker and a standard, both originating in Fresno. I always enjoy driving up from Fresno through the Mariposa entrance of the park because it means we will enter the valley through the Wawona Tunnel and get our first view of the cliffs at the iconic Tunnel View.
It is a great introduction to the valley and I love hearing the “oohs and ahhs” as we first lay eyes on El Cap and Bridalveil Falls. This is perhaps the iconic view of Yosemite Valley. A view that has captivated photographers since the days of Ansel Adams. Even today, there are always photographers set up here around the clock.
There are so many great places to shoot in the valley, and we quickly got to work photographing them.
As the fall color neared peak, we were collectively like kids in a candy store! In addition to the fall foliage, autumn is a great time to visit the valley for the angle of light. This time of year the sun sets in a way that illuminates El Cap with late light, something that doesn’t happen in the spring.
We made sure to prioritize El Cap and both groups walked away with a stunning sunset over the granite monolith. It wasn’t all about El Cap, however. We photographed as much of the valley as we could.
We shot sunrises from the meadows, photographed Half Dome at sunset, and chased yellow leaves throughout the day. We even made it over to Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias.
As the fall color neared peak, we were collectively like kids in a candy store! In addition to the fall foliage, autumn is a great time to visit the valley for the angle of light. This time of year the sun sets in a way that illuminates El Cap with late light, something that doesn’t happen in the spring.
We made sure to prioritize El Cap and both groups walked away with a stunning sunset over the granite monolith. It wasn’t all about El Cap, however. We photographed as much of the valley as we could.
We shot sunrises from the meadows, photographed Half Dome at sunset, and chased yellow leaves throughout the day. We even made it over to Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias.
For our hiking group, the highlight was undoubtedly our trek to Upper Cathedral Lakes.
This destination is a backcountry site located in the Yosemite high country. We were excited to see more of Yosemite (it is far more than a single valley after all).
Starting in Tuolumne Meadows, we hiked several miles up to Cathedral Lakes. These beautiful alpine lakes sit in a granite bowl below the iconic and stunning Cathedral Peak.
The temps were cold and the air was thin (the lake sits at over 9,000 feet above sea level), but our group did great!
It had been a few years since I had hiked up there, so I may have started telling people we were “almost there!” about a mile before we were actually there.
So I sort of developed a ‘boy who cried wolf’ dynamic with the group. My bad! We returned to the valley tired and sore that night, which is the best way to feel when grabbing some hard-earned pizza at Curry Village.
This destination is a backcountry site located in the Yosemite high country. We were excited to see more of Yosemite (it is far more than a single valley after all).
Starting in Tuolumne Meadows, we hiked several miles up to Cathedral Lakes. These beautiful alpine lakes sit in a granite bowl below the iconic and stunning Cathedral Peak.
The temps were cold and the air was thin (the lake sits at over 9,000 feet above sea level), but our group did great!
It had been a few years since I had hiked up there, so I may have started telling people we were “almost there!” about a mile before we were actually there.
So I sort of developed a ‘boy who cried wolf’ dynamic with the group. My bad! We returned to the valley tired and sore that night, which is the best way to feel when grabbing some hard-earned pizza at Curry Village.
The weather had been wonderful the first week, with mild temperatures and nice sunny skies. This would change for our standard group as a storm was in the forecast.
We were all excited about the photography potential of snow in Yosemite, even if I was personally questioning if I had brought enough warm layers. The storm arrived and brought a lot of moisture with it. It was snowing up high with mostly rain hitting the valley floor.
As soon as we saw the rain hitting the valley, we knew we had to get back to Tunnel View for sunrise. This is the best place to get up a little higher and see the clearing storm.
Our guests had mentioned that they wanted to see fog in the valley. I was cautious not to promise anything but was hopeful that this morning would deliver. We got there in the dark, and as dawn arrived, we were ecstatic to see high clouds and swirling fog on the valley floor. It was a pretty incredible scene, and one we were grateful to have witnessed.
We were all excited about the photography potential of snow in Yosemite, even if I was personally questioning if I had brought enough warm layers. The storm arrived and brought a lot of moisture with it. It was snowing up high with mostly rain hitting the valley floor.
As soon as we saw the rain hitting the valley, we knew we had to get back to Tunnel View for sunrise. This is the best place to get up a little higher and see the clearing storm.
Our guests had mentioned that they wanted to see fog in the valley. I was cautious not to promise anything but was hopeful that this morning would deliver. We got there in the dark, and as dawn arrived, we were ecstatic to see high clouds and swirling fog on the valley floor. It was a pretty incredible scene, and one we were grateful to have witnessed.
They say time flies when you're having fun and these two trips were over before we knew it.
These trips were a great experience with great people. It is always an honor to show such a special place to new visitors.
From the Ahwahneechee to Ansel Adams, Yosemite has been inspiring artists for as long as people have been in the valley. I think I can speak for both groups when I say we felt that inspiration.
These trips were a great experience with great people. It is always an honor to show such a special place to new visitors.
From the Ahwahneechee to Ansel Adams, Yosemite has been inspiring artists for as long as people have been in the valley. I think I can speak for both groups when I say we felt that inspiration.
arrow_drop_down_circle
Divider Text
AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Grant Ordelheide is a Montana-based outdoor and adventure photographer. Growing up in the Colorado Rockies, in a family that explored and played in the outdoors at every opportunity, instilled in him a profound reverence for the landscape. Grant’s love of nature and wild places preceded his love of photography, which emerged as a natural extension and by-product of his adventures in the mountains as an avid backpacker, climber, and snowboarder.
Following his passion, Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree in photography with an emphasis in business from Pacific Union College in California’s Napa Valley. In 2016, Grant was a recipient of the Art Wolfe Next Generation Photographer Grant organized by Luminous Landscape. His work has won numerous awards, including one of the top honors in the U.S. Landscape Photographer of the Year contest. His photos have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, The New York Times, The Yosemite Journal, and many other print and online publications. Grant’s fine art prints hang in gallery, corporate, and private collections across the country.
For several years, Grant has shared his eye, expertise, and contagious passion for photographing the outdoors, teaching photography workshops throughout the country. Grant currently resides in Columbia Falls, Montana with his wife Alexis. His work can be viewed at grantordelheide.com
Following his passion, Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree in photography with an emphasis in business from Pacific Union College in California’s Napa Valley. In 2016, Grant was a recipient of the Art Wolfe Next Generation Photographer Grant organized by Luminous Landscape. His work has won numerous awards, including one of the top honors in the U.S. Landscape Photographer of the Year contest. His photos have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, The New York Times, The Yosemite Journal, and many other print and online publications. Grant’s fine art prints hang in gallery, corporate, and private collections across the country.
For several years, Grant has shared his eye, expertise, and contagious passion for photographing the outdoors, teaching photography workshops throughout the country. Grant currently resides in Columbia Falls, Montana with his wife Alexis. His work can be viewed at grantordelheide.com
SEARCH THE BLOG
clear
Join our free photo-travel community group on Facebook. A great place to swap stories & share images with fellow photographers!
Live events & webinars from the comfort of your own home. Free webinars on a variety of photography related topics – from photo editing to composition & more.
Check out the BCJ Trip Calendar for all of our upcoming Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris!
FEATURED TRIP:
Dolomites in Summer
Dolomites in Summer
Discover the enchanting landscapes of the Dolomites in Summer. Capture breathtaking images of wildflowers, dramatic alpine peaks, and quaint villages on this world-class adventure!
UPCOMING TRIPS WITH AVAILABILITY
UPCOMING TRIPS WITH AVAILABILITY
[Block//Web Spots Left]
[Block//Trip//Trip Category (Destinations)]
[Block//Start Date %M d %+0]- [Block//End Date %M d, Y%+0]
From [Block//Current Price]
arrow_drop_down_circle
Divider Text
READ OUR NEWSLETTER FOR NEW TRIPS, ARTICLES, & PROMOS
READ OUR NEWSLETTER FOR NEW TRIPS, ARTICLES, & PROMOS
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2024
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.