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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Sunset. Conway Summit. May 27, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved..

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.