Backpacking in the National Park

In the Spring of 1971 I graduated from college. I had already been drafted and taken my physical exam and was now waiting to get called up. Along with my girlfriend, we decided to take a trip to the west coast. We ended up backpacking and were gifted a bus ride from the San Francisco area to Yosemite National Park by my generous uncle.

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called About this photo to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.

Wow. To be in Yosemite. What a fantastic gift. Here’s my favorite photo from this event. My girlfriend is leaning over the rail high up at Glacier Point admiring one of the waterfalls in the valley below.
We decided to scrap suitcases for these backpacks.	All of our belongings had to fit into the backpack including clothes, cooking equipment, tent, etc. Needless to say, they were heavy.
We also made it up to the waterfall. Yes, I look fondly back on our first visit and the photo that I took of my girlfriend. She happens to be my wife since then and we’ve revisited the park several times since 1971.

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Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 
 

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed photography since I was a youngster. This in turn is the reason that my picture taking has spanned more than five decades.

I categorize the photos that I take into one of two “camps” – the snapshots and the memorable photos.

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called “About this photo” to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.

Unlike some people who have photographic memories, I instead have memories about certain photographs.

Most of these special photographs were taken long, long ago. They are indelible and remain riveted in my mind. And so, in this “About this photo” series, I’d like to key in on one of these unforgettable photographs to bring you back to the time and circumstances under which it was taken.

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Taken late summer 1970, this is a photo of my girlfriend along Lake Michigan. We spent many weekends at this beach that summer. Usually the beach was very crowded, but on this cloudy and windy day, we had the run of the sand and shore to ourselves. The red lighthouse was a familiar site to anyone who knows this area and remains a key attraction to the beach today. It’s a lucky coincidence that my girlfriend’s jacket was about the same shade of red as the lighthouse. The reason that this photo is etched in my mind is that I’ve been married to this lovely lady for 50 years now.

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Now let’s skip forward some 40+ years. This photo was taken a few summers ago. Here we have two young girls having fun at the same location on Lake Michigan. You can see the same red lighthouse along the water albeit at a slightly different angle. These are two of our young grandchildren. As we were walking along the beach I was reminded of the 1970 photograph when we approached the red lighthouse. I asked the two girls to pose on the bench in the foreground. This photo captures the familiar feelings of warmth and affection that has somehow remained with me for more than 50 years.

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Along the way, I’ve taken a huge number of snapshots. However, the number of memorable photos that I’ve taken is far smaller. Yet it’s the memorable ones that have a magical ability to steer emotions, feelings and pleasure into our minds, even years later. Simply amazing.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

Brief trip to Yosemite

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called “About this photo” to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.

On a recent drive from Reno to Los Angeles, I had a few extra hours and chose to make a quick drive through Yosemite National Park.

I’ve been to the park many times, but it’s been a very long while since I visited the area known as Glacier Point. Here you will witness an astonishing view of Yosemite Valley and its inspirational surroundings.

Every once in a while, I snap an image which has an emotional effect on me.

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The formation straight ahead is the iconic Half Dome.

This photograph reminds me of the first time I experienced this awesome sight more than 40 years ago. I feel much of the same awe that I felt when I was much younger. It’s simply amazing.
 
 
Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 

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