We are twin brothers devoted to Earth adventures and environmental protection. We've been buddies since we were in utero. We produce videos, in high and ultra-high definition, photographs, articles, and books covering topics on understanding and enjoying National Parks, natural and human history, including native cultures. Our YouTube channel has videos on the above topics. Search Robinson Twins, Richard and Robert. At the bottom of the page, click on Older Posts to see more.
El Capitan is one of the largest granite cliffs in the world and is a draw for rock climbers from around the world.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
This photo is a still from video Bob shot of this swallowtail butterfly visiting this lily blossom.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
While driving along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway in the Sierra National Forst on June 13, 2021. We came across several spots with blooming flowers along the road. Much of this area was burned last year, so it was nice to see some still lush and green spots. This flower is called Kelley's lily (Lilium kelleyanum)and is related to the tiger lily or leopard lily. It was growing tall out of a seep that flowed into a small creek. It was taller than we were, more than 6 feet or 2 meters in height.
ISO 25, f1.8, 24mm equivalent, 1/685 sec.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!
In this photo, which he shot from the Yosemite Falls Trail, is Upper Yosemite Falls, the moonbow hovering over the Middle Cascade, and Half Dome.
According to Brian Hawkins of Yosemite Moonbow Predicitions (yosemitemoonbow.com) the appearance of the moonbow in Yosemite Falls as seen from Glacier Point only happens for about 15 minutes and is a broader arc thanks to the fact that you're viewing it from so much farther away than the other vantage points that he does predictions for.
The park was conducting prescribed burns the week Bob was there and Yosemite Valley and Half Dome were almost completely obscured by the smoke from Glacier Point, but, fortunately for him, the smoke cleared out just in time for the predicted appearance of the moonbow.
See our previous post for more information about moon bows.
Oh yeah, and while Bob was at Glacier Point, he met Brian Hawkins who predicts the occurrence of moon bows in Yosemite Falls from various vantage points on his website Yosemite Moonbow Predictions (yosemitemoonbow.com).
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
This is a photo of a moonbow, or lunar rainbow, in the mist of Lower Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park. Bob took this shot on the night of May 25th, 2021. The park was conducting prescribed burns in Yosemite Valley, so he was concerned that the smoke would diminish the moonlight enough that the moonbow wouldn't show up. Fortunately the smoke dispersed enough that it didn't interfere. In fact, Bob thinks this was one of the best moon bows he's ever seen, because it persisted through almost the entire predicted window and was a strong and, for the most part, broad arc of light. In our previous visits to see the moonbow in Lower Yosemite Falls, the moonbow has appeared and disappeared depending on which way the wind was blowing the mist.
Moonbows occur when moonlight strikes the mist of a waterfall or misty rain during a storm at a 42 degree angle from the observer and creates a rainbow just like sunlight can do. The difference is moonlight is much dimmer and is only bright enough two days before, the night of, and two days after the full moon to create a moonbow. Also, because moonlight is so much dimmer, the colors of the rainbow don't usually show up to the naked eye. The human eye sees color with retinal cells called cones, which require a brighter light intensity than the moon provides, in order to be stimulated enough for you to perceive color. To the naked eye, the moonbow appears as a ghostly white arc of light. The colors do show up in photos thanks to the longer exposures that cameras provide.
The Big Dipper and other stars are visible in the sky above Lower Yosemite Falls.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
This photo is from April 27, 2021. Because this was a dry year, the dogwood bloom seemed to occur earlier than normal.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
The Yosemite Falls Trail is a strenuous and rocky rough trail that hikers can take to visit the brink of Yosemite Falls.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
Pacific dogwoods (Cornus nuttallii) bloom in Yosemite Valley in April and May. The actual flowers are in a tight cluster forming almost a dome-like structure in the middle of the "flower," while the showier part of the blossoms are actually bracts that attach under the flower cluster.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
Burney Falls is a waterfall famous for its unique geology. The stream, Burney Creek, flows over the brink after being split into two streams that fall to the pool below. The rest of the cliff face has springs gushing from it that make it look like a very wide waterfall. The estimated amount of water flowing from this cliff is 100 million gallons per day. We visited McArthur-Burney Falls State Park during spring break 2021.
In a way, Burney Falls is challenging to photograph in that it is north-facing and doesn't receive direct sunlight. We managed to get a better image of the falls than usual by taking this picture after midnight and using a flashlight combined with a long exposure time to light the scene in a way that couldn't happen during the daytime. This image was actually taken around 12:43am with a 30-second exposure, ISO 800, f5.6, and a focal length of 18mm. It needed a wide-angle setting on the lens to get all of the falls in the frame, plus we wanted to be physically closer so the flashlight could be more effective. This process of using a flashlight (or torch as the British call it) to light the scene is called light painting. It appears to bring out the colors of the ferns better than a daytime photo when the cliff is in shadow.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
Bob decided to have a campfire on our spring break trip. We normally don't bother getting a fire going because we're usually out hiking or working on night photography and don't want to be tied to the responsibility. We were camped at the Rim Campground in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in California.
Taken with a Motorola z4, 1/10sec, f1.7, 4.7mm, ISO 2480, Camera app using Night Vision feature. March 29, 2021, 9:35 pm
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!
Since this cliff face is pretty much north-facing, it almost never gets direct sunlight, but the mist from the waterfall can catch the rays and produce rainbows during special times of the day. Here Bob was able to capture a double rainbow in the mist.
Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.
