Category Archives: Photographs: Fall

Photographs of fall color

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

Curving Aspen Grove

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Curving Aspen Grove
An aspen grove in various stages of autumn color transition descends from a Sierra Nevada ridge

Curving Aspen Grove. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An aspen grove in various stages of autumn color transition descends from a Sierra Nevada ridge

Some of you may recognize this aspen grove as being somewhat iconic — though you probably also know that it is often photographed in a somewhat different way. It is also usually photographed at a different time of day from when I was there — on a cloudy afternoon as a weather front was starting to fill in over the Sierra crest, moving conditions toward the potential for some light rain or even a few snow showers a bit later on.

Once again, I photographed in this soft light rather than in full sun. The direct sun can overwhelm the colors of an aspen grove like this one, while the soft light opens and illuminates the shadow areas and can even make the colors seem more intense, especially when some of that soft light is a bit directional and fills in the color from behind. This grove is rarely all in prime color condition all at once, since it covers a range of exposures and elevations. Here it is quite colorful both at the bottom and the top, though there are clearly areas where the leaves have already dropped.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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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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

Aspen Grove, White Trunks

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Aspen Grove, White Trunks
A dense stand of small, nearly leafless aspen trees with white trunks

Aspen Grove, White Trunks. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dense stand of small, nearly leafless aspen trees with white trunks

This little grove of aspens and I have a long acquaintance. The grove isn’t anything that you would probably notice, even if you found it and pass right by. It is much like many thousands of other aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada… and many thousands more across the western US. But it is one of “my” groves, and I stop there pretty much every year at some point.

The trees in this spot are not terribly large, in fact they might seem larger in the photograph than they actually are. The grove is very close and dense, and if I step inside and try to walk around I have to duck and squeeze between trees. I usually prefer to photograph it up close, using a wide-angle lens, and from just beyond its edge, where the brighter light falls on the trunks. Ideally, as on this day, a bit of overcast reduces contrast a bit and fills in the shadows. it is always a challenge, though usually a pleasant one, to try to find workable compositions in the dense complexity of these groves. It often initially looks like the process should be obvious and easy, but once I start framing things up I invariably discover little “deal-breakers” in the composition — a dark branch, a distracting background, an unfortunate juxtaposition of branches. But eventually, with patience and persistence, things can fall together.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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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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

Yellow Trees, Red Brush

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Yellow Trees, Red Brush
A few yellow aspen trees, surrounded by red undergrowth, cling to a rocky face

Yellow Trees, Red Brush. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A few yellow aspen trees, surrounded by red undergrowth, cling to a rocky face

I’m far from the first person to photograph this little group of trees, backed by a rough granite and standing among smaller plants that turn a deep reddish color in the fall. Given that these trees are just a few of many thousands standing near this spot, it still surprises me to see them photographed — and recognizable! — among so many other trees. They aren’t hard to see, but they aren’t exactly obvious either, and there are a few factors that might lead to them being passed without stopping.

If anything, it is probably the short, reddish undergrowth that contributes to their visibility — there are trees like these all over the Sierra, but most are not set against rocks and the red plants like this. I photographed the little scene when the area was in shadow — often my favorite light for aspen photography. This light is softer and it tends to fill the shadows, making the effect less stark.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook |
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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

Bare Aspen Grove

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Bare Aspen Grove
A dense grove of slender white aspen trees after most leaves have fallen

Bare Aspen Grove. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dense grove of slender white aspen trees after most leaves have fallen

Quite naturally, in autumn our attention turns to the fall color transition, which in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and nearby areas mostly means aspen trees. And this transition can be quite spectacular if you are in the right place on the right day and in the right conditions. The colors — ranging from yellow through orange to red — are often intense, and the biggest groves cover whole hillsides, snake up and down the mountains, and may be reflected in subalpine lakes. But this show is brief, and it ends before the month of October is over.

Fortunately, this isn’t the only condition in which aspens are a worthy photographic subject! In fact, as the last colorful leaves drop my feelings are often mixed — I hate to see the show end, but I also can start to look at the trees in other interesting ways. Bare aspen trees are an interesting subject on their own, suggesting both winter and the end of the warm season… and the prospect of the spring rebirth a few months from now. I know this particular little grove quite well, and I make it a point to visit every season, sometimes more than once. This year I passed by when almost all of the leaves had fallen, revealing the start, nearly white trunks and their fascinating combination of order and complexity.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook |
Email

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