Category Archives: Photographs: Yosemite

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest and Ferns

November 6, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A bed of ferns leads to conifer trees, big leaf maples, and the cliffs of Yosemite Valley

The autumn ferns of the Sierra have fascinated me for some time, and I think of them as among the most interesting of the harbingers of fall. I recall years ago driving across the Sierra to get to the east side in October and finding the transformation of the forest floor that they bring to be fascinating, especially in the evening when they seem to almost glow among the dark trunks of trees. Autumn color in the Sierra is most certainly not just about aspens!

I photographed this bed of ferns going dormant in a small meadow in Yosemite Valley. I stopped at a popular place, but then crossed the road to walk away from that spot and spend some time wandering meadows and forest of conifers and oaks. In this slight clearing at the end of the conifers there was a remarkably lush growth of ferns around this fallen tree, with more trees and more autumn color beyond.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees and Clouds, Yosemite

November 5, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The clouds of a dissipating storm drift among trees and ridges high on the walls of Yosemite Valley in the early evening

When it comes to “grand landscape” (and sometimes even intimate landscapes) my favorite conditions in Yosemite Valley may be those that often come after a storm, and clouds begin to flow across the upper Valley walls, breaking up and floating in and out of crevices, picking up interesting light and alternately hiding and revealing features including rocky prominences and trees. Once in a while I’m especially lucky and this clearing occurs at the very end of the day, as the warm light of evening is coming on.

I was just that lucky near the end of October, on a day that began in significant rain, transitioned to fog and clouds, and then cleared in the early evening. I found a spot with a clear view of one promising section of the high walls rising above the Valley, put on a long lens, and simply watched the show unfold. At times my subjects were almost entirely hidden by clouds, then a details such as trees or a bit of cliff would momentarily appear. As the evening wore on the clouds continued to thin and the light began to take on the colors of evening.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Clearing Autumn Storm, Cliffs, Evening

November 4, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Storm clouds clear from cliffs above Yosemite Valley

No doubt I have mentioned, likely quite a few times, that I love the fall through early spring season in Yosemite Valley — for many reasons but the clouds are at the top of my list. During the cooler season lots of interesting things happen in the atmosphere of and above the Valley, from morning mists in the meadows to the clouds of dissipating storms clinging to the upper slopes. Although this wasn’t the first “weather” of the season in the Valley, it was my first time this fall to be there for the show.

On the day I arrived there was quite a bit of rain, which soon began to pass, leaving behind beautiful light and fog and those thinning clouds. I arrived in the Valley in the afternoon and began following the light, and near sunset I ended up in a meadow with a clear view of an interesting section of the higher valley walls, where the cloud and light show was just beginning. I put a long lens on the camera and began to watch spires and trees appear and disappear as the clouds moved past. The action was continuous and I photographed almost without break as the light took on the warmer tones of evening, making this photograph shortly before the sun dropped behind mountains to the west and shadows replaced the light.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Maple, Forest, Fog

November 3, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Big leaf maple tree with autumn foliage in a foggy Yosemite National Park forest

This is a somewhat different photograph of a tree that appeared in another photograph I shared earlier this week. I had left Oakhurst very early in the morning, with the plan of arriving in Yosemite Valley at first light. Some plans don’t work out, and this was such a morning. As I drove along the highway through the park between the southern entrance and the valley, the road dropped into a valley that was fully fogged-in. I passed a spot that I had noted the day before, where several big leaf maple trees with fall foliage were growing in a small gully leading off into the foggy forest.

I quickly found a place to stop and turn around and head back. I grabbed my equipment, dropped into the gully, and went to work photographing before the fog lifted. The fog, along with the residual moisture from the previous day’s rain, intensified the colors and the soft light filled in the shadows, with the misty atmosphere leading back into the conifer forest.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Category Archives: Photographs: Yosemite

Forest and Ferns

Trees and Clouds, Yosemite

Clearing Autumn Storm, Cliffs, Evening

Maple, Forest, Fog

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