Dusy Basin is a broad, alpine valley in the Sierra Nevada, surrounded by high peaks (up to 14,000+) on all sides. Access is typically over nearly 12,000′ Bishop Pass from South Lake above the town of Bishop on Hiway 395, or by the steep climb from the John Muir Trail as it passes through Le Conte Canyon.
Truthfully, it was a bit later than actual dawn. We had gotten up at 6:00 a.m. and were on the trail less than an hour later, heading out towards Bishop Pass, when I passed by this small grass-filled lake.
Late-afternoon cloud shadows race across the west face of Mount Winchell, Sierra Nevada.
Mt. Winchell is just south of Bishop Pass on the crest of the Sierra Nevada. I was intrigued by the repeating diagonals in this image along with the cloud shadow.
(Technical note regarding this photograph. I am frequently asked about prints of this image. It is available as a print, but the size must be limited to approximately 12″ x 18″ dimensions because the photograph was made with an early digital camera that could not produce image quality equivalent to that produced by cameras that I use today. This quality is appropriate for many electronic and print uses.)
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more. Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email
This is one of my favorite images but one that frustrates me a bit as well.
Last summer a group of us had just come over Bishop Pass and down from Dusy Basin, turning south on the Muir Trail near this point. It was late in the day – we would finally arrive at our campsite after sunset – and I paused briefly to grab a hand held shot here.
I love the form of the image, especially the pool of light in the foreground at the bottom of the frame. Unfortunately, the original image was underexposed and taken on a camera that does not deal well with low light levels. Consequently, I’ll never be able to get a print larger than 8 x 10 or so out of this image.
However, in about two weeks I should be within a very short distance of this very same spot. If conditions cooperate, I’ll leave camp at the turnoff to Dusy Basin and hike down here with a better camera, better lens, and tripod and see if I can get a technically better image.
Update: I was looking at maps last night and I think that this peak is called “The Citadel.”
Conway summit is the high point on Hiway 395 just north of Mono Lake in California’s Owens Valley. My friends and I had just left a restaurant in Bridgeport and headed south toward Mammoth Lakes. As we came up to Conway Summit the sun was just dropping behind the Sierra crest. I quickly pulled off the hiway just before the summit, grabbed camera and tripod, and jumped out. I squeezed off one image without the tripod as the light quickly faded, then got the camera on the tripod and took a couple more shots as the sun dropped behind the ridge.
This image is the handheld shot that I quickly snapped before taking time to get the tripod assembled and the camera mounted.
I hope to return to this spot in the fall when those aspen groves should be turning golden.
