First image I’ve processed from a solo weeklong camping trip in Yosemite last month! This was taken from Wawona Road just above Tunnel View. If I’m going to do more winter camping I’ll have to figure out a better sleeping situation because it was chilly!
Anything 
Sony a6600
Sony 70-350 G lens
f/9.0
1/1000s
ISO 1250
Basic processing with light masking in Lightroom
Hi @Matthew_Chatham, You have shared a lovely image of one of the most famous icons of photography. You have presented it in a straightforward honest approach that is very much part of the eye witness tradition that lets the viewer experience what you did, the simple beauty of the mountain on a winters day.
Matthew, this is a fine look at a snowy Half Dome, set off nicely by the treelined ridges on both sides. I do think there’s a bit of a blue cast, that a slight pulling down of the blue tone curve can fix…should you so desire.
As for winter camping, the critical element is a warm enough sleeping bag, my rule of thumb is to add 10 degrees to the low temperature rating for “comfortable”, with the rated low being “tolerable”.
Matthew, Great view of one of the many icons in Yosemite. With as many images as there are of Half Dome, I think there is always room for one more, especially one so clean and showing, literally your vision of the mountain. I was in Yosemite in Nov. a bit before the snow came and it was already getting cold. I had not been in the park for almost 20 years so it is wonderful to see another reminder of that week. The face of the mountain is always striking, but I also like the way the lighter layer of snow etches the crevices across the dome. Very nice image with what sounds like a memorable personal story.
Your stark take of this icon emphasizes the cold; I can feel it just looking at the image! I hear you on the cold sleep too; it’s a lot more pleasant with the right gear!
@guy Thank you! I didn’t want to overcomplicate it so I’m glad the simplicity is appreciated
@Mark_Seaver Thank you! I think you might be right about the blue cast. I loaned out my calibration dongle to a friend and suspect my monitor might be a bit off after bumping the settings button a couple weeks ago, haha. It does look noticeably bluer on my (admittedly also uncalibrated) phone screen.
Thank you also for the tip about camping! I do have a very warm sleeping bag, but in this case my sleeping pad was woefully insufficient… I think I’ll probably get a CCF pad to layer under it for colder conditions
@marlindmills Thank you for your kind words! That must have been amazing to visit after 20 years, I feel very fortunate to live relatively close by in the bay area. This particular trip actually was more wet than cold, it rained on the second or third day for quite a while. But there was snow at inspiration point I hope you can visit the park again soon! I just saw your post of the frozen foliage, beautiful! Hope to see more shots from your visit as well.
Thank you @John_Williams! It wasn’t too bad once I bundled up in my base layers, a wool shirt, a button-up shirt, my puffy jacket, two hats, warm socks, and heavyweight hiking pants xD Plus a water bottle with hot water at the base of my sleeping bag! But it would have been simpler with an appropriate sleeping pad.
