Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Dawn Reflections, Mono Lake

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Dawn Reflections, Mono Lake
Colorful dawn light reflected on the surface of Mono Lake.

Dawn Reflections, Mono Lake. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Colorful dawn light reflected on the surface of Mono Lake.

On this morning I had a particular scene in mind to photograph at Mono Lake, so I was at that location before sunrise. I worked that subject until just before the sun actually rose, as planned, and then I turned to something different — the surface of the huge lake itself, slightly disturbed by morning breezes, with waterfowl here and there, as the sun was just about to top a mountain range fare to the east. I angled the camera downwards to keep the sky out of the frame, including just a bit of the distant mountains many miles away beyond the far shore.

On a clear morning like this one, the most intense sky color comes before sunrise, after which the brilliant sun washes out the colors that are visible earlier. To make this photograph I aimed the camera directly toward the point on the horizon where the sun would rise, so the very brightest portion of the colorful sky was strongly reflected on the lake’s surface.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Dense Autumn Aspens

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Dense Autumn Aspens
A grove of dense and colorful autumn aspen trees, to the east of the Sierra Nevada.

Dense Autumn Aspens. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A grove of dense and colorful autumn aspen trees, to the east of the Sierra Nevada.

This dense grove of autumn aspen trees, perhaps just past the peak of their seasonal color, provided an opportunity that isn’t easy to find in these groves — a slightly elevated position looking down into and across an aspen forest that stretched away up a nearby hillside. I was actually here to photograph something else, a distant landscape. But once I finished that task I moved on and spent some time with these trees.

Unlike many of the trees in my aspen photographs, these are not technically in the Sierra Nevada. Instead they are in a smaller range located east of the Sierra. The range may be smaller, but it is still high, with peaks over 11,000′. Being in the rain shadow of the Sierra, these mountains are rather dry, but there’s enough moisture to sustain very large stands of aspen 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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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Purple Doors

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Purple Doors
A pair of purple doors and a peeling wall, Porto.

Purple Doors. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A pair of purple doors and a peeling wall, Porto.

We spent some time in Porto this past summer during a week in Portugal… and ten weeks overall traveling through (mostly) southern Europe. Porto is a fascinating city, quite energetic and active —especially during tourist season, I suppose — with a mix of the urban, the modern, the historic, and the rundown. It isn’t a simple place, but I can see why it has become so popular.

At one point it was a relatively poor city, but it is undergoing a rebirth and, for better or for worse, a large amount of redevelopment. Close by the Ribiera district, with its twisting, narrow streets there are cranes set up to remodel and update homes with remarkable views of the Duoro River. The old and the new seem to live in close proximity here. This pair of purple doors, set in a very weathered wall, were on a nearby street.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Ritter and Banner, Morning

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Ritter and Banner, Morning
Banner Peak and Mount Ritter under a cloud shield in early morning light.

Ritter and Banner, Morning. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Banner Peak and Mount Ritter under a cloud shield in early morning light.

Mount Ritter and Banner Peak — or, as they are sometimes known, the Ritter-Banner Massif — dominate the Sierra Crest skyline in the portion of the range between Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite. They are high, dark, massive peaks. Surprisingly, they are not on the Sierra Crest, but instead on a sort of spur range that runs separates two forks of the San Joaquin River. (The actual crest is much less impressive and is located further east, where it runs north from the Mammoth Mountain ski area.)

I have been almost all around these peaks, having backpacked on both sides. On various day hikes from my backcountry camps I have explored the base of the peaks, too. But this view is from quite far away, a good distance east of the Sierra and out in the start of the basin and range country.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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.