Category Archives: Photographs: Fall Color

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Leaves, Central Valley

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Autumn Leaves, Central Valley
Autumn leaves litter the ground at a remote location in California’s Central Valley.

Autumn Leaves, Central Valley. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn leaves litter the ground at a remote location in California’s Central Valley.

Every August I begin to anticipate autumn. Yes, I know. It isn’t August until tomorrow. But bear with me. Summer is nice, but it is not my favorite season. I’ll concede that it is the time of home grown tomatoes, warm evenings, easy outdoor time, and more. But when it comes to my favorite season, it is more or less a toss-up between autumn and winter — and if pressed I think I would have to come down on the side of autumn. Even here in California, autumn brings the promise (and eventually the reality) of cooler temperatures, along with more interesting and varied weather and a color change that rivals that of spring.

This photograph comes from very late fall last year, on an early December morning when I was out in California’s Great Central Valley to photograph a rather different subject. I had arrived before dawn. It was cold and there was frost here and there. After photographing through sunrise I paused for breakfast and a cup of coffee… and looked down to see this little patch of autumn.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Leaves and Stone

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Aspen Leaves and Stone
Branches of an aspen tree with autumn leaves against the stone of an Eastern Sierra cliff.

Aspen Leaves and Stone. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Branches of an aspen tree with autumn leaves against the stone of an Eastern Sierra cliff.

Since summer is about to start… it seems like time to start thinking about autumn. I have written before that my mind is usually as much on the season that it isn’t as on the season that it is, perhaps because I’m always conscious of the cyclical and transitional nature of things. A few weeks ago I had a brief discussion with a friend about fall photography plans, and since then I’ve been considering where I may want to go this September and October. And as those subjects come to mind I cannot hep but be aware of the likely effects that the West’s current extreme drought and heat are likely to have on conditions.

But enough of that musing for the moment. This photographic vignette of a few aspen branches extending across cracked and lichen-covered granite focuses on one of the many little personal spots in the Sierra that I return to every year. There’s a good chance that you would pass this spot and not even see it, but that may be part of what draws me to it. While all of us own the iconic parts of the Sierra, each of us can have his or her own personal Sierra consisting an accumulated set of personal subjects and experiences.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Shoreline

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Autumn Shoreline
Early autumn colors, granite slabs, and low water levels at a Yosemite backcountry lake.

Autumn Shoreline. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early autumn colors, granite slabs, and low water levels at a Yosemite backcountry lake.

Recently I have been going through a large body of work created on backcountry photography trips with a group of fellow photographers. The photographs begin in 2008, when I first encountered them near a favorite Yosemite high country location. It continues over the next few years when I packed myself fin and briefly joined them each season, and then over a longer period when I fully integrated with the group and began spending a week or so photographing with them (almost) every summer. It has been a wonderful experience with a great group of photographers and friends, and I’m hopeful that the story will be shared more widely in the future.

This photograph comes from 2009, the second summer that I joined them, albeit briefly. They base-camped for more than a week in this area when I backpacked in to join them for a few days. (My early departure may have been a blessing in disguise, since shortly after I left the temperatures dropped close to zero!) A benefit of settling into one location for a few days is that I have the time to slowly wander the area, a photographic opportunity that is not available on typical backpacking trips where the need to make mileage leaves far less time for photography.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Light

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Autumn Light
Autumn light on a Sierra Nevada slope with early fall color.

Autumn Light. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn light on a Sierra Nevada slope with early fall color.

This photograph come from that beautiful time of year in the Sierra Nevada when summer is drawing to a close, all the signs of the coming autumn are appearing, and the crowds diminish. (Or at least they used to — a subject for another post…) I’ve frequently written that the signs of autumn appear well before the calendar says the season arrives. This photograph comes from the first week of fall — weeks before the peak of autumn aspen color, but a time when many other autumn colors begin to burst forth.

I am a bit embarrassed to say that I’m not quite positive where I made this photograph back in 2009. I know that I came off the trail from a short backcountry photography trip on this day, and that some time after I made this photograph I seems (looking at my archive) that I went to some location where very early aspen color was beginning to appear. The likely time of day, the direction of the light, the relatively barren upper slopes, and the time of day all suggest a location near to or just east of the crest. But the exact spot? Not sure!

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.