Aspen Grove, Bishop Canyon. Sierra Nevada, California. October 3, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Twisted and leaning aspen trunks in a large grove in the Bishop Creek drainage, Sierra Nevada, California.
These trees are in a grove where I have stopped quite a few times with the intent of making photographs, but never quite seeing what I wanted. I’ve been there on sunny days, and early in the morning before the direct sunlight strikes these trees. This was the first time that I’ve photographed these trees and felt that it was a success – and I think that the different light conditions are the reason. As I made the photograph it was overcast and raining lightly. From moment to moment the amount of light would subtly vary, but it remained soft and diffused due to the clouds and rain.
I also took a lot of time just wandering around in this grove and looking – in fact it would probably be accurate to say that I did more looking than photographing! I actually walked out of the grove a few times, thinking I was done, only to see another potential angle and wander back in again.
The fall color season in the eastern Sierra has become more and more popular with photographers over the past few years, due perhaps to the adoption of DSLR cameras and to publicity about the subject on the web. However, while some places are extremely crowded, others are can still be fairly quiet and uncrowded. And, fortunately, while the crowds seek out the familiar shots it is possible to find less crowded places… even as scores of photographers drive past them on their way to the iconic sites where they will line up side by side to make the same photographs.
This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
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Dan – At least for me photography is mostly looking, and looking deeply to see beyond the photographic elements to see texture, color, pattern, and the quality of light, etc. I’ve had a long-time personal saying, that nature photographers are basically “bums” (sorry if I offended anyone; that was not the intent) in that we wander about with no particular goal in mind…until the scene before our eyes strikes some deeper chord, and our emotions are hightened so much that we must make a photograph of the scene.
In the past when I’ve gone shooting with other photographers, and we all pile out of our cars at our destination, I’ve been often surprised when folks immediately start setting up their tripods and shart shooting photographs. Huh? You just got here? Did the scene speak to you that quickly? At least for me I have to wander about and let the destination “speak to me” before I pull out my camera (I am getting too touchy-feely here?).
The upshot is I feel the best photographs come when the photographer understands the scene, which only comes after experiencing the location…and not within one minute of exiting the car!
Greg, while I sometimes do shoot quickly and right away, more often I think I work the way you describe – the “bum” method of wandering about and looking and considering and thinking. Sometimes, with certain subjects, it takes me a while to actually start to “see” the subject in ways that might make a good photograph.
Dan
Thanks, Michele and Richard. That “distance” bit is exactly what I was looking for on this morning – the right combination of close tree trunk patterns, diffused light coming though the colorful canopy, and a clear enough grove so that the trees receding in the distance would be visible. I’ve had something like this on my mind for a couple of years.
Dan
I love this Dan. Those way off in the background add a lot of depth to this.
Beautiful!!! Love the overall scene, color, lighting… :):):)
Beautiful shot. I enjoyed reading about how you wandered through this grove for such a long period of time. As I look at this image, I get the same feeling — as though I want to wander around and take it all in.
Thanks, Ben. I’ve seen your work, and I’m sure that you can relate to the experience of wandering about and taking in the whole feel of the scene before shooting.
Dan