Evening Light, Subalpine Meadow and Peaks. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Soft, early evening light falls across a subalpine meadow and rugged High Sierra peaks.
Many would argue that photography is largely about light. I don’t think it is quite that simple, especially if you consider photography more broadly. However, it is hard to argue that the light isn’t quite often the star of landscape photographs in the aptly-named Range of Light. That name comes from some ineffable quality of Sierra Nevada light, that I’ve often thought of as being partly due to the open nature of the landscape, the typically gray color of the rocks, and the fact that it is more often sunny than cloudy here.
The light in this photograph is perhaps a bit softer than typical Sierra light. We were in one of those cycles when monsoon moisture streams over the range and thunderstorms are possible, and this moisture-laden atmosphere can mute the color and intensity of the light. This is particularly true of the distant ridges in this photograph, where the quality of the light is quite gentle.
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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