Category Archives: Photographs: Nature

Negit Island, Mono Lake

Negit Island, Mono Lake
“Negit Island, Mono Lake” — Tufa formations along the shoreline of Mono Lake with Negit Island in the distance.

In a recent Mono Lake post I mused about finding and photographing less familiar views of this magnificent place. But I also mentioned that sometimes I do stop and photograph the well-known locations when the opportunity arises. With that in mind, I acknowledge that this photograph was made at one of the familiar places along the western shore of the lake. Heck, there’s even a place there to pull in, pay a fee, have a picnic, and take a hike!

The photograph encompasses a whole lot of “Mono Basin stuff.” Let’s start in the foreground with the dry shoreline vegetation adapted to tolerate the salty soil, and the small tufa structures in the water just offshore. The dark form in the distance is Negit Island, one of two volcanic islands in the lake. And in the far distant haze (the haze is also a feature of the place) we see desert mountains rising as the basins and range country of Nevada takes over.


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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Lake, Mountains, and Autumn Aspens

Lake., Mountains, and Autumn Aspens
“Lake, Mountains, and Autumn Aspens” — Colorful autumn aspen trees line the shoreline of an Eastern Sierra lake.

This photograph comes from a popular spot in the Eastern Sierra, along a road that loops out from US 395 south of Lee Vining. While the general area is not my favorite location for photographing fall color, there’s no denying that there are some pretty spectacular vistas here, including along the shore of this lake, a place popular with anglers and people camped at a nearby RV resort. But those trees! And those mountains!

Thinking of this place brings to mind once again the variations in autumn color in the eastern Sierra. This location, being at a somewhat lower elevation and perhaps because it is more affected by high desert climate, tends to see the colors arrive a bit later in the season. Knowing that, as I was starting a long drive back to the Bay Area I swung through here to take a final look before continuing on.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Signs of Autumn, Manhattan

Signs of Autumn, Manhattan
“Signs of Autumn, Manhattan” — Autumn colors and fallen leaves along a pathway in Manhattan.

I don’t know how many of you (who view these posts at my website) pay attention to the “categories” listings. They group the posts by their subject and focus, and the photographic posts always include the categories appropriate to their subjects — they might be “nature,” or “New York City,” or “Fall,” and so on. This photograph fits into a rather broad set of them, including those listed in the previous sentence and more. Yes, it is a fall nature photograph from New York City!

There’s little to suggest this location (unless you look very closely) but I made this photograph while walking along the High Line Park on the west side of Manhattan. When I’m in NYC I typically photograph obviously urban subjects — people, buildings, streets, and so forth. But in one section of this urban trail there were big piles of lovely autumn leaves, fallen from trees planted along the elevated walkway.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Aspen Color, Bishop Canyon

Aspen Color, Bishop Canyon
“Aspen Color, Bishop Canyon” — A group of aspen trees in peak autumn color, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

All over the Sierra there are little bits of the landscape with which I have somehow developed a long term relationship — places I return to year after year. They are all different. There’s a particular boulder along the trail into Lyell Canyon, a small grove of aspens in the June Lake area, a granite slab in Tuolumne Meadows, a camp spot in the Yosemite high country, this little group of aspens — and, of course, many more. How each of them came to have these connections for me is a bit hard to explain, though some do have particular stories.

Perhaps these trees got my attention because they stand against an interesting background, but also because they seem like they should be an easily photographed subject — yet I have found them tricky to photograph over the years. Sometimes the color isn’t quite right, or else I arrive after too many leaves have fallen. But I inevitably walk the little use trail past them and make a few photographs every fall.


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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | PostEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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