Magnificent.
The United States can lay claim to some of the finest interior spaces in the world – Grand Central Station in New York, many old line Wall Street houses, Hearst Castle in California. The Ahwahnee Hotel in the heart of Yosemite National Park ranks right up there.
On a recent trip to Yosemite, a four hour drive from home, my son and I stayed at the Ahwahnee and I could not but help wonder at the magnificence of the interior common spaces of this magical place. Completed in 1927, it is a masterpiece, integrating commerce with the world’s greatest landscape setting.
No, I am not about to publish images of Yosemite itself, as futile an experiment as I can conceive of. All that has been said about this place has been said a few billion times, and you can revel in the work of modern masters or, if you like ‘HDR garish’ with the color removed, Ansel Adams is your man. But the Ahwahnee bears dwelling on.
These were snapped during tea time on my son’s Panasonic LX100, mostly underexposed a stop or two to control the highlights (a process made surpassingly easy by the over/under exposure thumbwheel whose effect is instantly visible in the EVF), with shadows restored in LR5 using that wonderful ‘Shadows’ slider, with a touch of Luminance noise reduction added where appropriate. I find the LX100 exhibits quite a bit more luminance noise than the GX7 and typically dial in correction of 35 in LR5.
The LX100 with its wide and fast 24-75mm lens excels at this sort of thing and all were hand held at ISO400. Trust me – these will print as large as you will ever want. The one iPhone 6 image is identified below.
The Great Lounge. A magnificent space.
Looking toward the solarium.
The Great Lounge.
My son Winston in the solarium, behind the Great Lounge.
The period photographs on the walls add immeasurably to the spirit of place.
You are immediately transported back to a time before tattoos and boorish behavior.
Behind the Great Lounge.
The technique to secure the very wide dynamic range is described above.
The main lobby is spacious and American Indian motifs abound, as they do throughout the hotel.
The setting is one-of-a-kind.
The granite stone walls are built on a steel I-beam frame.
A little imagination transports you back 90 years to proper attire and slimmer waistlines.
Some eschew the afternoon tea for Chopin, emanating from one of the two Steinway grands.
A place for contemplation. At 70mm and f/2.8 the LX100’s lens renders pleasing OOF backgrounds.
A place to enjoy.
In the spirit of the surroundings. The walls are textured, stained concrete, imitating redwood.
The 24 feet tall windows in the dining room are a stroke of genius.
The 34′ high cathedral ceiling in the dining room is breathtaking. Dress code is still enforced for dinner. iPhone 6.
In the Mural Room.
OK, just one shot of Yosemite proper. Taken by my son Winston:
Waterfall, granite and jet.
Book for the winter or early spring. The place is hopelessly crowded at other times of the year.
The Ahwahnee is extraordinarily expensive, the room service is some of the best I have enjoyed and I wish it was twice as costly to keep couples with 2 year-olds away.
