Flowers at Sunset. Purple Lake. August 4, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Purple Lake is on the John Muir Trail just south of the Mammoth Lakes area. I was there on a recent pack trip with a group of friends.

Due to a late and heavy winter this year, the flowers bloomed a bit behind schedule and were at their peak while I was there. (The mosquitos were also thriving this year, but that is another story!)

Sharp-eyed observers will not be surprised that this photo is a composite of two images shot – on the tripod, of course – at different exposures. One was exposed for the bright sunset light on the peak and the other was exposed for the foreground grass and flowers. The two images were combined and tweaked in photoshop. This is my alternative to carrying the extra weight and bulk of graduated ND filters on the trail.

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Dawn. Dusy Basin, Sierra Nevada range. August 14, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.

Le Conte Canyon in Evening Light. Kings Canyon National Park. July 12, 2004. &copy Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

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.”

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