Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Sierra Pines

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Sierra Pines
“Sierra Pines” — Dense forest of small, high elevation pine trees in the Sierra Nevada.

These lodgepole pines could be anywhere in a wide range of places in the Sierra Nevada — it is a very common tree found at higher elevations. Its form ranges from tall and upright, through slightly bent (like these trees at the edge of a high forest) to twisted and warped trees growing in rocky annd exposed locations. In the Sierra, lodgepoles are your friends, and you see them everywhere. You have undoubtedly walked among them and camped beneath them.

I photographed this scene in a high valley just outside Yosemite National Park, near the eastern entrance at Tioga Pass. I was up there during autumn to photograph aspens when I got sidetracked by some new snow above this area. Intimate photographs of these trees are often difficult in bright light since the contrasts can be harsh. But shadow light is softer and more forgiving, muting highlights and filling the shadows.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Shoreline, Dawn

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Mono Shoreline, Dawn
“Mono Shoreline, Dawn” — Dawn at Mono Lake near Black Point.

At some point on virtually every visit to the Eastern Sierra I end up photographing at Mono Lake… again. I’ve photographed the place for decades, but I still find new ways to see it on almost every visit. This time I headed to the northwest ‘corner” of the lake to watch the sun rise, and I got lucky with the beautiful sky colors and their reflection on the water.

I like photographing this subject early in the day when, with few exceptions, it is quiet and the air is often still. Sunrise light here is often special. Because the Mono Basin is vast and open to the east, there’s plenty of atmosphere (and haze!) to pick up the sunrise colors, and the sky can be very impressive. On top of that, these colors reflect on the surface of the lake. Because the large-scale scenic elements are backlit and so far away, details are usually muted, and the landscape can easily lean towards a kind abstraction.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Autumn Aspen Forest

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Autumn Aspen Forest
“Autumn Aspen Forest” — Tall aspen trees with white trunks and autumn leaves, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Returning to the same locations has its pluses and minuses. I suppose that one negative could be the danger that the subject becomes overly familiar — there is an argument that it would be a better use of one’s time to head off to new places. But there are a lot more positives in my experience, including becoming more intimately familiar with a place you thought you knew. I find new subjects on every return visit to the Eastern Sierra, despite having photographed there for decades.

This photograph (along with a few others from the same location) is a case in point. I had passed this spot for years, barely stopping to give it a look, and to the best of my knowledge never photographing it. On this visit I spotted a lovely little creek nearby that I had overlooked, and once I started paying attention to its surroundings I became aware of these beautiful trees.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Mt. Dana, Sunset Clouds

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Mt. Dana, Sunset Clouds
“Mt. Dana, Sunset Clouds” — Clouds glow in the final sunset light above Mt. Dana.

There is a special autumn feeling in the Sierra high country that I love. It is hard to describe, and it may be the sum of a variety of seasonal features. Summer is a time of wild abundance as the plants (and the mosquitos!) take advantage of the short growing season. Within a couple of months it comes to an end and things go dormant in preparation for the coming winter. There are fewer human visitors, too — though sadly it isn’t quite as deserted as it used to be. The intense light of summer is gone, replaced by softer, golden, and often hazy light.

This was one of those evenings. I was traveling through the Yosemite high country between Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows, and the place was nearly deserted. Clouds low enough to obscure peaks were drifting about, and the last sunlight turned the west edge of the cloud bank bright red/orange. I stopped here, made a few photographs, and watched as the color faded from the sky.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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