Evening Clouds, Sierra Crest. Yosemite National Park, California. July 15, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brilliant sunset clouds from dissipating thunderstorms above the Yosemite Sierra crest.

Almost a full year later I recall this sunset very clearly. I had come up Tioga Pass Road to this spot, and as the end-of-day light came on I decided to establish myself here and work whatever photographic opportunities might come up. This is an area of beautiful meadows, and I’ve wandered off across them and into the far forest many times. This time working from closer to the road I saw a huge wave cloud formation floating east of the Sierra Crest, most likely over Mono Lake. At that point the cloud was impressive for size and structure, though it was basically white.

There was obviously a pretty good chance for color in the moments right before and after sunset, so I set up, selected a couple of possible compositions that included the sky, and watched. Gradually color began to come to the clouds, and just as the last bit of direct sunlight struck the two highest peaks the clouds lit up in spectacular fashion.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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