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

Evening Aspens

Image Leave a comment
Evening Aspens
“Evening Aspens” — Beams of early evening light on Eastern Sierra aspen groves.

As I photographed here in the late afternoon I was keeping an eye on the sun as it descended toward clouds and the Sierra crest to the west. These trees are beautifully back-lit by late afternoon sun, but it looked like that light source might disappear early behind the clouds. As it turned out, the partially blocked light created an unusual and dramatic effect as beams of light highlighted trees against the darker background.

I think that we like to flatter ourselves about our ability to find and take advantage of subjects and great light. We put a lot of effort into searching out visually interesting locations (a worthwhile endeavor!) and then being there when the light is likely to be ideal. But in the end we are, to a great extent, at the mercy of conditions. Sometimes that is a problem, but on evenings like this one the light gods send us an occasional gift.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Lake, Before Dawn

Image Leave a comment
Mono Lake, Before Dawn
“Mono Lake, Before Dawn” — Colorful pre-dawn clouds over Mono Lake.

This photograph may look very similar to a previously shared Mono Lake photo — both feature the reflecting surface of the lake and a colorful sky. But they are quite different images, photographed from very different places and at different times of the day. The other one was from an evening when afternoon thunderstorm clouds were dissipating. This one is from just before dawn on a hazy morning with high clouds illuminated by the colorful pre-dawn sky.

While that previous photograph was made right on the shoreline of the lake, this one used a more distant camera position. I had headed up into the Eastern Sierra foothills to search for aspen color, and I was exploring some less-used gravel backroads. This higher perspective allowed me to include more of the lake. (It is hard to see, but it extends far beyond the nearer portion that reflects the colorful 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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

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

Peaks and Autumn Aspens

Image Leave a comment
Peaks and Autumn Aspens
“Peaks and Autumn Aspens” — A forest of autumn aspen trees in the Eastern Sierra Nevada leads toward mountain peaks.

For years I have felt that the best light at this Eastern Sierra Nevada location comes in the late afternoon, just before the sun drops behind the crest of the mountains. Here the high desert and mountain terrains intermingle, and aspen groves alternate with dry “sage brush country.” In the late-day light, the aspens are illuminated from behind and from the side, and this accentuates the autumn colors and makes them glow.

As usual, I arrived here an hour or so before the shadows of the peaks would “turn out the lights” on the fall color show. I photographed from various locations here during that hour, and as the light started to fade I picked out a few remaining well-lit groves against the darker shadows. Eventually the shadows, along with some developing clouds, eliminated the intense backlight and left the soft, gentle evening light on these 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.

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

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Subalpine Meadow, Lake, and Peaks

Image Leave a comment
Subapline Meadow, Lake, and Peaks
“Subalpine Meadow, Lake, and Peaks” — Alpine peaks stand beyond a subalpine meadow and lake, John Muir Wilderness.

This monumental string of peaks running west from the Sierra Nevada crest was our companion during a two-week late-summer base-camp here a few years ago. A group of nine photographers packed in and set up basecamp for a week. This gave us plenty of time to extensively explore and photograph the surrounding area. It is rare — and quite special — to get to focus so thoroughly on one small area of the wilderness like this.

Our camp was down in forest near a small lake, perhaps a ten or fifteen minute walk from the location of the photograph. A short walk up through the forest brought us to the edge of the alpine world at the timberline, where streams meander through open meadows, the views are uninterrupted by large trees, and it is possible to simply walk wherever you want to go — no need for trails.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

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