People in Yosemite: A TimeLapse Study on Vimeo

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3. People in Yosemite: A TimeLapse Study

by Steven M. Bumgardner

2 years ago

2. A New York City TimeLapse

by Steven M. Bumgardner

2 years ago

1. camBLOCK moco timelapse test #1

by Steven M. Bumgardner

2 years ago

Yosemite is bigger than Rhode Island at almost 800,000 acres, but it receives about 3.5 million visitors each year, and most of them spend time in Yosemite Valley.

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816 Likes

rexor
17 hours ago
nagendra
1 week ago
Joaquin Ruiz Quintanal
1 week ago
mauro bianchi
2 weeks ago
LMJ
2 weeks ago
Jens Reiche
2 weeks ago
Olga R Trujillo
2 weeks ago
Jack Bermeo
2 weeks ago
svetoslav hristov
2 weeks ago
Dan Feeney
2 weeks ago

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Randy 2 years ago

great video. love the rock climbers at apprx. 2:45
Tom Lowe 2 years ago

Awesome. Love the climbers!
Bill Pennington 2 years ago

I agree with Tom, the climbers starting at 2:32 are great! The whole thing is amazing!
emeric 2 years ago

Wow... this is stunning ... A truly amazing work you've done here ! I love how you show both the beauty of nature and the impact of a massive human activity.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks, Emeric. This was just a little project, but I hope to someday make a larger film about people in our parks and the larger world.
Michael Carney Media 2 years ago

Great video Steven! congratulations on getting the NPS videographer job - I must say I am extraordinarily jealous!
Brian Wright 2 years ago

A...w...e...s...o...m...e...!!!!!
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

T...h...a...n...k Y...o...u...!!!!!
Larry Hogue 2 years ago

The Koyaanisqatsi of Yosemite! This is why I've only been to the valley in summer one time (and thought I'd lost my mind!). The other three seasons are great.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Originally, I started shooting a similar project in Sequoia National Park, where I also work, and I always wanted to call it Sequoianisqatsi!
100peaks 2 years ago

I agree with the comments above. The rock climbers are incredibly fun to watch. I am also amazed and how much the falls move over time, getting whipped around by the wind.

And finally, the music is awesome. One of my favorite albums of all time. I must put that back into rotation.

Great job overall.
faith hershiser 2 years ago

love seeing your work in yosemite. thanks for sharing and helping me to stay close since i have moved so far away from my favorite place.
JMS 2 years ago

Awesome, I like climbers too, but the first minute is just spectacular.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks JMS! I knew when I was shooting it that it was going to be my favorite timelapse. It felt like I was watching a Bierstadt painting unfold in real life. That's why I use it in my intro for Yosemite Nature Notes.
Theresa Ho 2 years ago

I think the response to the video is interesting. I thought it was a tribute to the timelessness of the scenery in Yosemite, and a call to slow down and appreciate, but others seem to simply be troubled by the crowds. Thank you so much for putting it together.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

I was afraid that people would focus on the negative crowd aspect, but as you know, avoiding crowds in Yosemite is easy - just don't try to drive in the Valley between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm on summer weekends!
Paul Davis 2 years ago

This is amazing! Extra <3 for using the Peter Gabriel track!
MK 2 years ago

Wow! everything is perfect! images, music and editing! good job!
johan fründ 2 years ago

great video..... 2:06 looks so good.
Mark Ray 2 years ago

compelling footage, beautifully shot. and your choice of music is excellent - not just background music but creates a tension, a statement about what we're seeing, much like the old phillip glass / koyaanisqatsi films.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thank you so much, Ray. You are a gentleman and a scholar!
The Mighty Sparrow 2 years ago

Great video Steven. Well shot and with purpose, it goes a long way to showing our footprint in our great parks. I thought it so great that I ran a post about it on my blog: themightysparrow.com. Again, well done. And, look forward to more.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks, Mighty Sparrow! I hope that it also goes along way toward showing that we're just little bugs, and that the rocks will always persevere!
Chris Falkenstein 2 years ago

Nice Steve,

Here is one of the busy Inspiration Point, Yosemite Valley.
vimeo.com/6121915
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks, Chris! I watched that yesterday. I liked the tram unloading.
Martin W.F. 2 years ago

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
Becky Trafecanty 2 years ago

Steve! Awesome work! Can't wait to chat with you more about it. I have to pick your brain a bit after seeing that... maybe over beers at Ryan's sometime soon.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Right on Becky! I watched your bouldering video on PhaceBuhk. Pretty sweet! Let's talk!
Dan Farcas 2 years ago

Beautiful. Smoking some weed before watching makes it really amazing. Great work.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

This is my favorite comment so far. Thank you!
Dan Farcas 2 years ago

You should really try watching your wonderful work while baked. It's perfect. Get an old Pink Floyd track on the background and be amazed.
iamkalaniprince 2 years ago

Gorgeous work Steve. I especially loved the cloud formations swirling around at the base of the rock face. Very cool.. I've been there once, hiked half dome. Barely made it back to camp as my legs were jello by the end. I'd do it again any day, so beautiful up there. So different from what I'm used to on Maui !

Love and Aloha, iamKP-
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Mahalo! Check out Yosemite Nature Notes - Episode 4 - Half Dome for some timelapse of people on the cables!
I worked on the Big Island in '98 and '99 for the Park Service doing lava tube inventory and mapping. I love Hawai'i and would like to go back to shoot some HD and time lapse, especially on Kilauea.
Sarah A. Miller 2 years ago

I just starting making time lapses... I love it! the last minute is really great with all the people. love the music too
jmarkley 2 years ago

I love your work, I see something different each time I watch your videos. Really stunning.
Jason Bumpus 2 years ago

Great footage; love it. Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack, I presume.
• a c a l d a s • 2 years ago

Ants on the wall. Amazing!
Rhys Duindam 2 years ago

I liked how you made the people seem like ants. I got such a feeling of overwhelm (If I could put it that way) as you see the masses increase in size and still act like an ant colony would. very good!
jacob selander 2 years ago

beautiful imagery... i wonder what ol' ed abbey would have to say about your juxtaposition of people and nature.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

I hope that Ed Abbey would like my video, but not the crowds. What about John Muir?
Jonathan 2 years ago

This is absolutely stunning! Fantastic work.
Robert Vinet 2 years ago

Very nicely done.
David Richards 2 years ago

Why is facebook connect not workiing for gods sake...
Bristol Hall 2 years ago

Absolutely amazing footage, loved the whole thing, but the climbers were great! :)
entystminut 2 years ago

nice video!
Jeremy Aiken 2 years ago

Great vid! those rock-climbers look like ants going up an anthill.
Neal Parish 2 years ago

Absolutely love it! Yosemite in spring is my favorite partly to avoid the crowds that are evident in this vid.
C McCurdy 2 years ago

Steven, thank you for making this amazing video. I spent my summer of 2009 living and working in the park. Since I've left, there hasn't been a day that goes by where I don't feel a bit of sadness that I'm no longer there to see all of the wonderful sights that are highlighted in your film. And while I too, grew tiresome of the masses of people and thousands of vehicles, one has to remember that all the interest of all those people and the money that they bring are what help make that amazing park stay accessible to all. I cannot wait to go back but things like this film make the wait a little more bearable.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad to hear someone besides myself put a positive spin on all those crowds. Some say this film turns their stomach (!), but I'm w/ you. It warms my heart! Look at all the love Yosemite gets!
Ryan Alexander 2 years ago

Awesome job
Lisa Strong 2 years ago

Of course the beauty shots, well, ARE! But my favorite shot I think is the wide of Half Dome from Cooks Meadow with the cars pouring along the road down low (about 1:30). It's the juxtaposition of geologic time and human time. Shots with waterfalls are cool, but the speedy water takes away from the stately timelessness of the landscape.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

I agree about the water. If I had the means, I'd shoot all water with at least 120fps. Slow motion waterfalls are the best!
Philip Bloom 2 years ago

fantastic mate!
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks for watching, Philip!
Mark Mayne 2 years ago

great footage though i think the music was all wrong for this clip...
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

And what, pray tell, do you suggest?
Mark Mayne 2 years ago

hi Steven, hope i haven't offended you. I just felt like the song didn't capture the beauty of the footage. Awesome work though.
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

No offense taken...I'm just wondering what you would suggest.
Darwin SLG 2 years ago

Beautiful! thanks for share this :)
Leadri Animation 2 years ago

Wow.. Amazing. great work.
malker 2 years ago

great...
Carlos Quandt 2 years ago

One of my favorite places. Superb job, congratulations!
Madhusudan Katti 2 years ago

Wonderful video, and I love the focus on people! Far too often we insist on removing ourselves from Nature, and editing our own wilderness experiences when we visit such places as Yosemite. I'm glad you turned your camera the other way to capture humanity's presence in this incredible place. At the same time, as a faculty member in Fresno State, I also find too many local students who haven't been there yet - I hope to use your videos to inspire them to explore our local wildernesses some more.

I don't know if you get trackbacks here on vimeo, but I've shared this on my Reconciliation Ecology blog -here's the link:
blog.reconciliationecology.org/2009/12/rush-hour-in-yosemite-american.html

Thanks again - and I hope to run into you in one of these national parks some day!
Steven M. Bumgardner 2 years ago

Thanks for your comments and your blog post. I think you did a great job discussing the issues that this video raises. People who say it's too crowded often forget that they are part of the crowd! I'd be happy to come to Fresno State to present and discuss my work sometime.
Ken Scott 2 years ago

what a great look at park use ... and the contrast thereof.
great piece!
Steve Deschenes 2 years ago

Steve, that was so much fun to watch! The clarilty and color are magnificent. May I ask what your average settings were on your camera? I hope to imitate your fine work on a limited scale with my Canon 7D some day ;>)
Jari Salomaa 2 years ago

excellent video!
Alex Zavatone 2 years ago

Nice stuff. Wish I had more time to film and photograph there. Cheers.
Naomi Neu 2 years ago

I love the mountaintop scene at 2:10... the view is spectacular and you can see the clouds practically hugging Earth under the stratospheric pressure. Rock climbers...rock...too!!
Toby Past 2 years ago

Absolutely brilliant! Great image quality, nicely edited with the soundtrack, excellent tempo-matching...a unique way to see Yosemite. thanks for sharing!
Pedro Vásquez Colmenares 2 years ago

Wonderful idea, greatly accomplished!
John Lambie 2 years ago

nature 1 humanity 0
Vit Jurek 2 years ago

Great video but when I watched it, I expected some kind of culmination point (that music is so suggestive). So it could was a masterpiece but it is "just" great.
Bernardo Nietmann 2 years ago

Congratulations !
The climbers look like insects, ants...
Hope to see more from your videos
john markert 2 years ago

Music really makes this piece pop. Thanks, Peter Gabriel. Quality of the YouTube presentation is first-rate, some of the best HD video quality I've seen. I liked the first, last , and climbers with falls shots, but the rest was irritating.
Jonathan Fuchs 2 years ago

I lived in Yosemite for 4 months in 2003, for as many tourists that do visit during the 4 months of summer, it never seemed as hectic as the video makes it out to be. Crowded yes, but a very relaxed crowd, I'd rather be there with 4 million tourists for 4 months than stuck in a Wegmans, Kosco, Sam's Club, etc... for 1 hour on any given Saturday afternoon.
When I was there, I know the park had planned by 2010 to restrict personal vehicles from entering the park and shuttle everyone in via the hybrid buses, does anyone know if this has happened yet?
C McCurdy 2 years ago

no, this has not happened and my personal opinion is i don't see it happening any time soon. logistically it would be a difficult thing to do...mainly: where do you put all the cars? there would have to be massive parking lots just outside the park entrances. and from a revenue standpoint, how would not having your car at your immediate disposal effect park attendance? my belief is it would effect it greatly.
Jose Antonio Gallego Vázquez 2 years ago

Congratulations. A wonderful and inspired work
Randall Lazzaro 1 year ago

Steven, your work is amazing. Really enjoy it, can you let me know the name of the composer and song you used in "Experience Your Yosemite" Thanks
Steven M. Bumgardner 1 year ago

I don't know the composer. The piece is called "The Century" and it was from a music library that has now been wrapped up into Killer Tracks.
Kwokman2 1 year ago

Great image quality for the Z1U... very nice..

Have you looked at DSLR's or Panasonics HPX 300? Here's some shorts I've done with both:

Miami: vimeo.com/9567120

Seattle: vimeo.com/9691789
Janne Peippo 1 year ago

Great video! I love the way the scenes and music intensify towards the end... and then boom, silence. I visited Yosemite for a few days last year, amazing place, hope to go back some day!
Hunter Imagery 1 year ago

Great job on the vid! I have to say though that it makes me angry to watch it.
It's a good thing that the NPS keeps us BASE Jumpers in check by throwing us in jail, stealing our gear, and fining us $5000 for non-powered, low-impact human flight! You know, the environmental impact of hiking to the top of El Cap and then flying off of it is so extreme and it might ruin the whole experience for the millions of tourists that trample all over everything in the valley and fill it up with smog, RV's, and trash. As for your comment on John Muir. I think that if he were to visit the Valley today in peak season he would cry. I do.
Thank you for sharing this. Aloha.
mark michaels 1 year ago

Hunter
I agree with your BASE jumping rant. I read that policy on Steph Davis' site (see her vids on vimeo - great jumps), and then was espcially shocked when I saw that they DO allow hang gliding and paragliding (at least at Glacier Point, I think...) The parks are for ALL to enjoy, as long as their enjoyment doesn't DEGRADE the park!
mark michaels 1 year ago

Has anyone sued the NPS over this?
Steven M. Bumgardner 1 year ago

Here's some info on hang gliding: yhga.org/siteman.pdf

and here's some info on BASE jumping:
modern-us-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/base_jumping_in_yosemite_national_park
C. Hegle 1 year ago

Excellent clip. Very appropriate use of Peter Gabriel as well.
William Gayle 1 year ago

Really well done! The massive amount of people almost makes me cringe
elgenio 1 year ago

Fantastic!!
Canyon Critter 1 year ago

By Far...one of my all time favorite Videos on Vimeo! Thanks!!!!!
Jesse Rosten 1 year ago

Well done!
Jon Forsyth 11 months ago

Amazing -- for the reasons all have said. Great nature shots, but very effective illustration of the human impact as well, and wonderful music. It's been way too long since I've been there (usually in the high country, away from the crowds).
barbara cordero 5 months ago

Steve, I hope you do expand on this video artistry. I love Yosemite.. have volunteered in the month of May... this is both beautiful and my worst nightmare...
Joaquin Ruiz Quintanal 1 week ago

good job. beautiful light!