Photography and Yosemite National Park’s beautiful landscapes have gone hand in hand since the mid-1800s when photographers like Charles Weed and Carleton Watkins packed large-format cameras with glass plates into Yosemite Valley on mules. Their images were pivotal in sharing and ultimately protecting this landscape for future generations.
Today, modern photographers continue to flock to Yosemite to share its beauty with the world, to preserve memories of friends and families, and to make inspiring art. Amazing photographs lurk around every corner and turn in the trail. There is beauty underfoot in the form of delicate wildflowers and overhead in tall forests and white granite cliffs. Here are some tips on where to get the best photos in Yosemite.
Iconic Yosemite Photography Locations
Surrounded by all of these possibilities, it can be hard to know where to begin looking for a place to shoot. To get started, check out our list of Top 10 Places to Get the Shot. These are famous locations, with iconic views that have mesmerized people for decades. If you’re looking for pictures that are unmistakably Yosemite, this is your list. Remember to keep your camera handy on your way to Yosemite too. For example, if you travel up the Merced River along Highway 140, keep your eyes open for some of the beautiful scenes along the river and near El Portal.
Photographing Yosemite Across the Seasons
Many Yosemite snapshots show the landscape’s beauty under a cloudless blue sky. This is the scene that will greet most summer-time visitors. It makes for beautiful hiking weather and bright, sparkling images. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a truly unique Yosemite shot be sure to plan a trip for late fall, winter, or early spring. Serious photographers delight in the cloudy forecasts that accompany these seasons. They are looking for those ephemeral bursts of light, wisps of fog swirling through the trees in the valley, and the moody images that come with orange and pink clouds at sunset or sunrise.
Unique Yosemite Photography Events
During particular moments in Nature’s regular rhythm of changing light and flowing water, everything comes together to create the most mystical and unique opportunities for photographers. And when they happen regularly, photographers from around the world travel to Yosemite for the chance to capture these unique moments.
Mist Opportunities: Guide to Seeing a Yosemite Moonbow
Guide to the Natural Yosemite Firefall 2023– Horsetail Fall Firefall
Discover the Best Spots With A Guide
Yosemite is a big place, and with so many beautiful locations and the ever-changing nature of the light, it can be helpful to have someone show you around. While there are many photographers from far away eager to lead trips to Yosemite, consider the advantage of spending that time with a truly local photographer – one that has been exploring this landscape during every spare moment for years, watching the light change with the seasons and developing an intimate knowledge of the park.
Share Your Favorite Photos & Photography Tips
Misty mornings, golden hues, wildlife sightings, and views to settle the soul. This is Yosemite in autumn!
Photos by: @emmaakknight
#Yosemite, #YosemiteNationalPark, #California, #RoadTrip, #YosemiteMariposaCounty, #MariposaCounty, #YosemiteNation, #CaliforniaParks, #explorenature @YosemiteNation @yosemitenps @visitcalifornia @cahighsierra @visitgoldcountry
A wonderful recognition for Yosemite Facelift and the Yosemite Climbing Association! 🏆
Yosemite Facelift has been awarded Bronze in the Best Conservation Initiative category at the 2026 JRNY America Awards, placing it in the top three among 10 finalists selected from conservation initiatives across the country.
What makes Facelift especially special is the community behind it. Hundreds of volunteers travel to Yosemite each year to spend time caring for a place they love, coming together for days of stewardship, education and conservation.
For the Yosemite Climbing Association and the volunteers who make Facelift possible, this recognition is a celebration of that commitment. It is also a beautiful example of how people can enjoy a special place while helping care for it.
Yosemite Facelift takes place each September, giving you plenty of time to plan a Yosemite trip around the event. Come for the scenery, the climbing and the experience, and spend a few days giving back to the place that brought you here.
It is a reminder that responsible travel can be more than simply leaving a place as you found it. Sometimes, it means leaving it a little better.
Congratulations to the Yosemite Climbing Association and all of the volunteers who make this remarkable event possible.
We are proud to see Yosemite`s climbing community and its commitment to stewardship recognized on an international stage. 🌎🏔️
#Yosemite #YosemiteFacelift #YosemiteClimbingAssociation #Stewardship #Conservation #ResponsibleTravel #YosemiteMariposaCounty
Yosemite Falls doesn`t always flow year-round, but when a good storm rolls through the area in autumn, it will often make an appearance!
Photo by: @me.minetravels
#Yosemite, #YosemiteNationalPark, #California, #RoadTrip, #YosemiteMariposaCounty, #MariposaCounty, #YosemiteNation, #CaliforniaParks, #explorenature @YosemiteNation @yosemitenps @visitcalifornia @cahighsierra @visitgoldcountry
In Yosemite, autumn doesn`t just bring beautiful colors--it brings rain to fuel the waterfalls, too!
Photos by: @macadamphotography
#Yosemite, #YosemiteNationalPark, #California, #RoadTrip, #YosemiteMariposaCounty, #MariposaCounty, #YosemiteNation, #CaliforniaParks, #explorenature @YosemiteNation @yosemitenps @visitcalifornia @cahighsierra @visitgoldcountry
That feeling when Yosemite`s summer greens give way to gold. October is here and autumn hues are on the way!
Photos by: @brooke.brush
#Yosemite, #YosemiteNationalPark, #California, #RoadTrip, #YosemiteMariposaCounty, #MariposaCounty, #YosemiteNation, #CaliforniaParks, #explorenature @YosemiteNation @yosemitenps @visitcalifornia @cahighsierra @visitgoldcountry
