Oak Trees, Evening, El Capitan Meadow. Yosemite Valley, California. October 31, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A grove of oak trees in El Capitan Meadow illuminated by late afternoon light.
What Yosemite photographer hasn’t photographed these oaks, especially the four in the foreground? I know I can’t resist, and I’ve photographed them in every season and in conditions ranging from warm afternoons to winter mornings with snow on the ground. Here I photographed them during the last few minutes of direct light, just before the sun dropped behind ridges to the west, and after the light had already left the meadow, the forest and the Valley walls beyond.
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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Heh… I’ll bet that there are more photographers in Yosemite who have photographed them than who haven’t. Several things make this the case. First, let’s admit that they are just too darn convenient. (The secret is – or was – that you can park your car and set up the tripod right by the trunk to make this shot! Really lazy photographers could almost do it by rolling down the window. But don’t…)
But better than that, this group of oaks is just so picturesque and beautiful with the strong yet curving shapes arranged into a small grove. In the winter their stark shapes against snow are appealing. In spring the meadow grass is green and tall and there are new leaves on the trees. In fall the leaves change colors and the grasses become golden/brown.
Dan
Dan – I know I am guilty of shooting the same oaks, and did so recently. They are hard to resist, even when they aren’t at full fall colors…I love their form.