Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

River Bank and Cottonwood Trees

November 27, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A thicket of small cottonwood trees leans toward the Merced River, Yosemite National Park

When I first encountered this riverside thicket of small trees, I half-regarded them as a nuisance, believe it or not. My attention was focused on cottonwood trees on the opposite bank of the river and a bit downstream, and I was looking for a good vantage point where I could set up my tripod to photograph them. While I was intrigued by these closely-spaced trees and their beautiful autumn foliage, my initial orientation to them was affected by how difficult they made it to find a good spot for my tripod with a clear view of the other trees! (Yes, I did eventually find a small spot down by the edge of the water from which I could make that other photograph.)

After passing them I looked back and saw the way that the trees varied from almost perfectly vertical in the middle of the thicket to banding almost horizontally over the river closer to the bank in an attempt, I suppose, to find unobstructed sunlight. I knew there was a photograph in this scene but it was a bit tricky. Framing it the way I wanted required the use of a longer lens, but that introduced depth of field challenges. Initially I saw it as a color photograph, especially since the leaves on these cottonwoods were at their peak of intense autumn gold. However, working on the photograph later, it seemed to me that the color wasn’t the main story in this scene, and that a black and white rendition might do a better job of highlighting the varied yet related forms of those tree trunks, and still capture the beautiful side-light coming from across the river and down the Valley at this very late afternoon hour.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn

November 26, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Golden dawn light illuminates autumn fog drifting above marshland grasses in California’s Central Valley.

I went to this place to photograph birds – at least that was my excuse. In the past few years I have become quite passionate about photographing the migratory birds that may be found all over the Great Central Valley of California between late fall and early spring – geese, cranes, herons, ibises, and more. I think that once you hear the cries of these birds as thousands of them flock together on the ground or in water or, better yet, as they fly overhead, they get in your blood. In the fall I anticipate their return and watch for early signs. A few weeks ago we managed to find cranes further up the valley, and I knew that the geese wouldn’t be far behind – so this trip was, literally, a “wild goose chase.”

But the truth is a bit more involved. As much as I love the birds, I think that I’m at least as attracted to landscapes where they are found at this time of year, and to the weather conditions of this season. You might think that a bird photographer would want clear skies and bright light, but I look forward more to fog, clouds, and mist and other kinds of interesting atmosphere. In fact, at times it occurs to me that the birds may at least partially be my excuse for being in this landscape. On this morning I was expecting that it might be clear, so I was happy (strange photographer!) when I drove into thick fog a few miles from my destination. I arrived just before dawn as the sky was somewhere in that color range between blue and purple and pink, but just barely visible though the murk. I made a few true sunrise photographs that included a barely visible sun behind fog and clouds, then moved on along a gravel road to see if I could see the cranes that I could hear. As I came to a right angle turn on this road, the fog stretched beyond the nearby grasses and straight toward the low sun in front of me, thick enough that all details in the distance disappeared (with the exception of a few barely visible birds) into a luminous glow that was too bright to look at.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cottonwood Trees, Reflection

November 25, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cottonwood trees with fall foliage reflected in the Merced River

Believe it or not, this is the mighty Merced River, draining a vast section of the Yosemite High Sierra that extends all the way to the highest peaks of this section of the Sierra crest. On this late October afternoon, on a dry day during a dry month at the end of the second of two drought years in the Sierra, the river felt in many ways more like a creek. The water moved slowly, gently rippling over rocks in the shallow sections and pooling in the deeper areas where the movement of the water was almost invisible. The contrast between this scene and what the river can do is apparent when your realize that these trees could be standing in very deep water during the peak runoff floods of a wet year.

I had wandered out to this relatively accessible location in the afternoon, drawn by the golden cottonwood trees that were approaching their peak autumn color, the brilliant fall backlight from the low afternoon sun down the Valley to the west, the shadowed granite face beyond, and the possibility of using the river as an element in photographs. I was apparently not the only person with this idea, and when I arrived I found perhaps a half-dozen painters occupying strategic spots on gravel bars, the beach, and along the banks. I made some photographs that included these artists, but I also contrived to exclude them from some of the compositions, including this one that brought together all of those elements that I came here to find.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest and Cliffs, Autumn

November 24, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Soft autumn light on Yosemite Valley forests and granite cliffs.

A typical day of shooting in normal weather in a place like Yosemite Valley starts early – though perhaps not as early as in some other locations, since the first light is somewhat muted by the tall cliffs and taller peaks to the east. I select subjects largely based on what the light is like and where I think it will be interesting, often focusing on places where I can get nice backlight, soft light in shadows, or perhaps atmospheric conditions such as fog. I may move around the Valley, shooting in one spot for a while and then moving on to another place where I suspect that conditions might be interesting. Depending upon the conditions and the season, this can go on for hours in the morning until eventually the light becomes “midday blah” and I’m exhausted and hungry! Time for a (very late) breakfast break and a pause in the photography on most days. After coffee and food I’ll usually take care of some business, for example breaking camp if it my final day there, and I’ll often wander around to visit familiar places – perhaps a gallery or a museum – and then it is probably time for a short nap. (Keep in mind that I’ve been up since well before dawn, and will likely shoot until dark and then possibly drive for four hours or more!)

At some point in the mid to early afternoon it feels like time to photograph some more – the angle of the light becomes less and backlight opportunities increase, afternoon haze may be increasing the sense of depth in the landscape, and I need to begin figuring where I’ll want to be at various times during the evolution of the light that will continue until after sunset. On this afternoon I went back into photography mode at about 2:30 or so, and this photograph was made at the “early” hour of around 3:00. But because it was fall, the sun angle was already low enough to backlight and highlight the cottonwood trees at the edge of the meadow and the textures and shapes of the granite cliffs rising above the Valley.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

River Bank and Cottonwood Trees

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Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn

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Cottonwood Trees, Reflection

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Forest and Cliffs, Autumn

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

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