Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Plateau Above Townsley Lake, Sunset

September 24, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The last light illuminates the sub-alpine tundra and a small dry tarn on the plateau above Townsley Lake with the Fletcher-Parsons Peaks ridge in the distance. Yosemite National Park, California.

I have crossed this plateau above Townsley Lake near Vogelsang High Sierra Camp many times on travels between Fletcher Lake and the Ireland Lake area. The area fascinates me, as it is a very large and relatively flat area of alpine tundra in an area that otherwise contains a lot of high rocky peaks. For several years I’ve wanted to be on the plateau as the sun sets, and I finally got my chance during my early September 2008 photography expedition into this area. I stayed up here long enough to photograph after the sun had set… and then stumbled back into camp in the dark to fix a late dinner under the light of my headlamp.

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Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Shoreline Detail, Fletcher Lake

September 23, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Rocky shoreline of Fletcher Lake and reflections in early morning light – Yosemite National Park, California.

Yet another in the series of morning photographs made in early September 2008 during my brief photographic expedition to Fletcher Lake and surrounding areas in the Yosemite National Park backcountry. Here oblique morning light strikes rocks, bushes, and a small shoreline meadow along the shoreline of the lake.

keywords: fletcher, lake, vogelsang, high, sierra, camp, nevada, california, usa, shore, shoreline, rocky, rock, boulder, tree, brush, meadow, reflection, bush, morning, light, landscape, wilderness, alpine, scenic, yosemite, national park, backpack, hike, mountain, stock

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Shoreline Trees and Reflections, Fletcher Lake

September 22, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Shoreline trees, grasses, and rocks catch the morning sunlight and are reflected in Fletcher Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

This photograph is from near the outlet stream of Fletcher Lake, very close to the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. Early morning light is beginning to flow around the base of Fletcher Peak and strike the rocks and vegetation along the shoreline right below the peak. This is one of a series of photographs I made on this morning as I wandered around this lake in the early light.

keywords: shore, shoreline, trees, forest, bush, grass, meadow, rock, boulder, sun, light, talus, slab, granite, reflection, submerged, alpine, mountain, sierra, nevada, high, camp, vogelsang, fletcher, lake, hike, backpack, landscape, wilderness, stock, california, usa, yosemite, national park

Ideas, News

“It’s not a photo until it’s a print”

September 21, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

That’s how Jim M Goldstein began a post last week in which he offered a proposal to encourage people to experience and acquire prints:

One of the unique aspects of digital photography is that we’re now able to enjoy photographic work with out viewing it in printed form. More so now than ever before supporting a photographer is shown almost exclusively online through photo forums, blogs, and other online communities. While viewing photographs online is easy and relatively inexpensive it is a hollow experience by comparison to holding an actual print from a photographer you respect and admire.

The goal of this project is to introduce fine art photography, photography books, print exchanges, and other photography related products to photography fans of all walks of life. It is also to spur photography fans to think in terms of financially supporting talented photographers so they can continue to do what they love.

Like many of you, my first experience with many photographs was with surrogate images – in my case most likely reproductions in a book, though today it could just as likely be with a version posted online. I’ll bet that many of you can recall the experience of visiting a gallery and seeing for the first time a print from which one of these reproductions was made – and having an “Oh, My God!” reaction to the original print. Perhaps like me, you stood in front of some of these prints for minutes – perhaps many minutes – in order to take in what you had not been able to see in the reproductions.

Follow the link to Jim’s site to find about more about his project. (And while you are there, check out the rest of his blog, view his wonderful photography, and subscribe to his podcast.)

I am going to participate in the project, and I’ll post more about the nature of my participation shortly.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Plateau Above Townsley Lake, Sunset

Shoreline Detail, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Trees and Reflections, Fletcher Lake

“It’s not a photo until it’s a print”

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