In the middle of my August 2008 trans-Sierra backpack trip we spent a morning walking up the 7.5 miles between Kern Hot Springs and Junction Meadow in the upper Kern Canyon. Since I’m fond of higher country I wasn’t expecting too much on this day, but I was happy to encounter a wonderful lighting situation that I’ve seen before in Yosemite and similar valleys: the western canyon walls were in full sunlight and reflecting beautiful, warm, diffuse light across the river into the shaded forest on the east side where I photographed these trees and ferns.
A bit more about this trip. I had previously done this route — the High Sierra Trail — from the western reaches of Sequoia national Park, over the Kaweahs, down into the Kern, the up and over the Sierra Crest with a side trip to Mt. Whitney before exiting at Whitney Portal. This time I went with a group of backpacking friends, and it was wonderful to revisit this landscape.
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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Thanks, Michael. From my point of view, this shot was a wonderful find and a bit of a surprise. As I wrote above, it was just a little scene I came across while hiking through otherwise unremarkable sections of forest in the upper Kern below Junction Meadow. (Not that this area is “unremarkable” in general – it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to find a shot in this specific spot.)
It was that amazing light from the sunlit cliffs on the opposite side of the canyon that made it work.
Dan
I too am fond of the higher elevations in the Sierra, but this photograph knocks me out. Love the soft warm light and the composition. Great job, Dan!
I really like this one. The reflected light is superb and give s nice warmth to the scene without too much of a color cast, which sometimes overdoes it.
I’m a fan of this type of work. I wish I knew the name for it, but it’s a more intimate landscape than is typical. Scenes composed like this remind me of Eliot Porter’s style; tight intimate nature scenes with just enough extraneous subject matter to lead you to venture, in your mind, beyond the scene.