Half Dome from Cooks Meadow, Yosemite Valley on Monday, January 26th

A Visit to Photo L.A.

Ansel Adams Gallery Vice-President Claudia Welsh and photographer Michael Frye traveled down to Los Angeles this month to attend Photo L.A., the Annual International Los Angeles Photographic Art Exposition.

Now in it's 18th year, Photo L.A. is an annual event that brings together the photographic community including gallery owners, art collectors, photographers and other art professionals.

Held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, attendees are able to peruse aisles filled with artwork, seeking out new acquisitions for their personal art collection and gaining ideas from the thousands of images on view.

Throughout the weekend, special events including book signings, conversations, collecting seminars and portfolio reviews take place.

The next Photo L.A. will take place in January 2010. For more information, please visit www.artfairsinc.com.

Winter Activities in Yosemite National Park

There is no better time to visit Yosemite National Park than winter. With beautiful snow-covered cliffs and meadows blanketed in snow, Yosemite Valley is in its most tranquil season.

Winter also brings numerous activities to participate in during your visit. The following are our recommended activities for your winter adventure to Yosemite Valley:

Winter Light Photography Workshop with Keith Walklet, February 11-15, 2009

While each season offers its own special qualities, veteran Yosemite photographers like instructor Keith S. Walklet know that winter conditions add even more beauty to an already spectacular landscape. Using a combination of field and classroom time, Keith Walklet will cover topics including composition, lighting, exposure and more while leading the workshop group through Yosemite Valley to capture the winter landscape.

Photographing Horsetail Fall Workshop with Michael Frye, February 20, 2009 and February 22, 2009

Every February hundreds of photographers journey to Yosemite to photograph, or attempt to photograph, the spectacular sunset light on Horsetail Fall. In this one-day workshop Michael Frye, author of the Photographer's Guide to Yosemite, will lead you to one of the special Horsetail Fall viewing spots at sunset to photograph this phenomenon, and instruct you on how to best capture the scene.

Badger Pass Ski Area

Enjoy a day of skiing or snowboarding at Yosemite National Park’s very own ski area. The relaxed atmosphere and gentle slopes of Badger Pass offer up the best experience for the winter sport novice or a fun, family outing. Open daily from 9am – 4pm.

Full Moon Snowshoe Walk

Each month through the winter season, join a naturalist guide from the Yosemite Association for the Moonlight Snowshoe adventure. Walk through a snow-covered forest dappled by the light of the moon while learning about the natural world around you. Offered on Saturday, February 7^th and Saturday, March 7^th.

Photographing Horsetail Fall - A One-Day Mini Workshop for Digital Photographers

Every February hundreds of photographers journey to Yosemite to photograph, or attempt to photograph, the spectacular sunset light on Horsetail Fall. On February 20th and 22nd, 2009, The Ansel Adams Gallery Photography Workshops will be offering Photographing Horsetail Fall - A One-Day Mini Workshop for Digital Photographers. In this workshop, photographer Michael Frye, author of the Photographer's Guide to Yosemite, will lead you to one of the special Horsetail Fall viewing spots at sunset to photograph this phenomenon, and instruct you on how to best capture the scene.

But this class is much more than a guided trip to photograph Horsetail Fall. It's a full day of instruction about light, composition, exposure, and the use of your digital camera. We'll start by photographing sunrise in Yosemite Valley, spend most of the morning capturing the winter light in the Valley, and head out to the Horsetail Fall view in the afternoon. In between we'll take a lunch break and spend some time in the Ansel Adams Gallery's classroom learning about light and composition and preparing to photograph Horsetail Fall.

The tuition fee for Photographing Horsetail Fall - A One-Day Mini Workshop for Digital Photographers is $225.00 per participant. For further information and to register, please visit the following links:

February 20, 2009 Session

February 22, 2009 Session

Yosemite Chapel in Snow

Ansel Adams Gallery Staff Photographer Evan Russel made this image of the Yosemite Chapel after a December winter storm that passed through Yosemite Valley.

Bracebridge Dinner - An Adams Family Tradition

Yosemite National Park’s Bracebridge Dinner has become a true American tradition since its inception eighty years ago in Yosemite Valley. This spectacular Christmas pageant takes place in The Ahwahnee’s grand Dining Room, which is transformed into the majestic Hall of American author Washington Irving’s legendary “Squire Bracebridge”. Each December since 1927, the world-famous hotel takes on the air of eighteenth-century England.

This year, Ansel Adams Gallery President Matthew Adams, and his wife Ming Zhu, had the honor of playing the role of guest squires one evening in the famous Bracebridge performance.

For the Adams family, the Bracebridge Dinner is not merely an American tradition but a family one. Matthew’s grandfather, Ansel Adams, spent many years being involved with the dinner, including creating an original script, developing the accompanying music, and bringing on a creative team to build the set. Adams also performed in the Bracebridge Dinner, taking on the role of Major Domo.

To read more about the history of the Bracebridge Dinner, please visit www.bracebridgedinners.com.