Itchy shutter fingers

FALL in Yosemite isn’t all about leaves. “At this time of year, you can easily have snow fringing Yosemite Valley at the top of these massive cliffs, and beautiful color at the base of the cliffs,” says photographer Dave Wyman, whose work has appeared in Backpacker, Outside and other magazines. Autumn brings a certain slant of light to the park that gets shutter fingers itching. While quaking aspen will have shown their golden side by now, dogwood, maple and oak should be in full color. Wyman will lead a workshop limited to 25 from Thursday through Sunday titled “Autumn Light: Photography in the Yosemite Valley and Beyond.” He’ll escort novice through intermediate photographers to a number of standard scenic venues in the park -- and to a few off-the-beaten-path places as well. “There are some unusual optical phenomena you can photograph at this time of year,” he hints, among them a rainbow that appears when it’s sunny at the base of Bridalveil Fall. Wyman, whose book “Yosemite in Photographs” is due out next month, says he usually spots bears, deer and coyotes at this time of year too. Fee for the workshop is $310; participants may camp free in Yosemite Valley or pay for a room at Yosemite Lodge. Call (209) 379-2321 or visit www.yosemite.org/seminars/index.html.

-- Carolyn Kimball