Category Archives: Photographs: Northern California

Photographs from Northern California

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Tree and Cliff Above Middle Young Lake

September 30, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A tree grows at the rocky edge of a cliff above Middle Young Lake and the forest receding into the late-afternoon western light, Yosemite National Park, California.

Continuing the process of milking my mid-September shoot at Young Lakes for as many photographs as possible, here’s one more. As I wandered around the “side” of the upper lake I saw a meadowy area below the outlet stream that looked interesting, so I followed it to the beginning of a steep drop off towards the middle lake. Here the combination of low-angle back light glancing off or the edges of the rocky outcropping and the distant forest-covered hills fading into the sunny haze caught my attention. It was also interesting to think about the fact that I had just walked past the lake seen at the lower left perhaps no more than 30-45 minutes earlier.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Boulders, Trees, and Cliff – Upper Young Lake

September 29, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early evening light on boulders, trees, and cliffs along the edge of Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

Seeing that this feels like about the 100th photograph in this series from Upper Young Lake, I’m half tempted to title it “Yet Another Upper Young Lake Photograph.” I won’t, but I will keep the commentary short on this one. Shot on the same mid-September evening along the shore near the lower end of the lake, I used a longer focal length for this one and composed it to include a slightly darker and steeper section of the cliffs that rise from one side of the lake.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: boulder, rock, tree, grove, cliff, face, crack, meadow, grass, brush, shore, shoreline, upp

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Shoreline, Upper Young Lake

September 28, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening light on granite slopes and the shoreline of Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

In a way this is sort of a “test shot,” since I haven’t really focused on this portion of Upper Young on previous visits. I want to return and “work” this section of the lake, along with the area between it and the middle lake, and also the upper end of this lake, which I’ve barely visited. I made this photograph during that wonderful late time in the day when the light changes from moment to moment, the colors gradually become more and more interesting, and the slight backlight partially obscures the details of the background slopes.

This particular terrain is perhaps as close as any to what I regard as “my ideal Sierra” – that magical zone just below or at timberline where there are meadows, either open or intimate and separated by rocks and trees, and the light is everywhere, uninterrupted by trees. There are enough plants to give this sort of area an almost lush appearance, especially early in the season and when the light is right. And while I like the higher and truly alpine regions of the passes and peaks, I’d rather hang out in areas like this one where there is a certain amount of greenery and the high elevation harshness is moderated a bit.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Autumn Leaves, Redwood Creek

September 27, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Autumn leaves float in Redwood Creek at Muir Woods National Monument.

I suppose that this is really my first “official” autumn photograph of the season. (I did post recent Sierra photographs that show “autumn” conditions, but they were made just prior to the equinox.) One of the reasons I went to Muir Woods today is that I know that the understory trees are some of the first in the area to show fall color, and I thought that the transition just might be underway. Indeed, the color change does appear to be starting, with these large yellow leaves starting to appear along with the brown needles that have fallen from the redwoods, the turning bay tree leaves, and some ferns that have many brown leaves.

I photographed these leaves floating on and near a log in Redwood Creek. The creek runs through the main valley of the Monument, and I made this photograph from one of the many bridges that cross it. One challenge here is trying to find a time when other visitors are not tromping across the bridge and vibrating the camera – especially important in the very low light which necessitates long exposures! (This was a five-second exposure.)

I had not been to Muir Woods for a few months, so it was interesting to see how the conditions have changed in the late summer and early autumn. Many of the plants that I photographed as they emerged in spring have now stopped growing, and in some cases are starting to die back. The lush and moist green quality has slipped a bit towards drier and slightly dusty conditions in places. One thing that hasn’t changed is that this redwood forest is a very cool place – although temperatures in the Bay Area today were into the 90 degree range, I had to wear a jacket when I arrived at the redwoods.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.