I photograph in this meadow during nearly every visit to Yosemite Valley. The big oak trees are the stars for the most part — though it is hard to ignore the impressive mass of El Capitan rising behind you. The autumn foliage on these trees turns golden-brown before falling, and it can glow luminously when backlit.
The light is key to photographing here. Because this part of the valley is narrow and because tall cliffs rise on either side, the amount of direct sunlight is limited. Shadows traverse this meadow in the morning and the afternoon, and there’s interesting lighting along the margins of the shadows. Here you can see the line of shadow along the right side of the frame. Moments after I made the photograph the shadows fully enveloped these trees.
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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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