Category Archives: Photographs: Northern California

Photographs from Northern California

LeConte Memorial Lodge, Autumn Oak Leaves

LeConte Memorial Lodge, Autumn Oak Leaves

LeConte Memorial Lodge, Autumn Oak Leaves. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn Oak leaves hang in front of the LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California.

Historic LeConte Lodge is located near the base of the cliffs along the south side of Yosemite Valley not far from the Housekeeping camp. The lodge was closed when I visited in early November, perhaps for the season, but the oak trees in front of the building were in full autumn color.

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.

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Fall Foliage and Rock Face, Tioga Road

Fall Foliage and Rock Face, Tioga Road

Fall Foliage and Rock Face, Tioga Road. Yosemite National Park, California. September 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall colors come to plants growing in cracks in a rock face alongside Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park, California.

As I drove across the Sierra via Tioga Pass Road in late September I was watching for early fall color, which often just gets going at about this time. Most of the good color is east of the crest, but there is one area near where the road crosses Yosemite Creek where I sometimes spot some yellow leaves – and, sure enough, as I passed this spot I saw some interesting color along the rock walls beside the road.

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.

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Fall Foliage, Yosemite Valley

Fall Foliage, Yosemite Valley

Fall Foliage, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall color in a meadow near Yosemite Falls – Yosemite Valley, California.

I decided to push the boundaries of “ideal shooting time” on this one – it was made less than an hour before noon in midday light that might often have me starting to take my midday break. I think two things made it possible to shoot this subject in this somewhat difficult light. First, the light coming through the leaves of these black oaks (and to some extent the cottonwoods in the distance) creates an effect that it not typical of midday shooting. Secondly, the deeply shaded cliff walls along the south side of The Valley gave me a background that was not harshly lit. (The bright grasses in the meadow were a bit tough, but I think they are under control here.)

It might surprise some to find out that this landscape image was made using a relatively long lens – a 70-200mm zoom at about 130mm. Here it helped me control the composition – making the trees seem a bit closer to one another and affecting the area of the cliff seen beyond.

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.

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Fall Color, Leidig Meadow

Fall Color, Leidig Meadow

Fall Color, Leidig Meadow. Yosemite National Park, California. October 31, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall colors of grasses, bushes, and trees along the edge of Liedig Meadow and the Merced River with cliff walls in the background, Yosemite Valley.

Yes, I’m still working Leidig Meadow… As I wrote earlier, I love the low autumn backlight and early November colors of trees and meadow at this location in Yosemite Valley. In fact I shot here on both afternoons during my visit on October 31 and November 1. Here the trees are roughly sidelight by light coming up the canyon from the west, and the light is aleady gone from the tall cliffs across the Valley and just to the west of Yosemite Falls.

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.

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