Photographing Yosemite: Digital Field Guide

27.2. Where Can I Get the Best Shot?

One of the classic photographs of the hotel is directly in front of the building using the stone fountain as a foreground element. Other angles abound as you wander along the grounds (see A on the map). You can photograph the hotel and its grand lawn from an area to the south of the main building, showing the lawn and one of the six buildings that make up the hotel complex. In the summer, a small covered wagon out front makes a good foreground element. There is also a swimming pool next to the main building and a golf course across the road. The lobby and the sitting rooms have an attractive 19th-century feeling (see B on the map). So you can use any of these elements to add interest to your images.

The best locations from which to photograph the Wawona Hotel: (A) hotel exterior, (B) hotel interior. Other photo ops: (13) Mariposa Grove, (18) Pioneer Yosemite History Center.

27.2.1. Hotel exterior

There are many angles you can use to photograph the exterior of the hotel. Try using the fountain and reflecting pond in your image or stroll about the grounds and look for other foreground elements to help add depth to your images. Sometimes in the summer there is a small covered wagon out front you can use to add some interest to the pictures. Other elements you could use include the swimming pool or some lawn furniture to add depth to an image ...