Tag Archives: alpenglow

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

Lenticular Clouds, Alpenglow Reflections

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Lenticular Clouds, Sunset Reflections
Two lenticular clouds in the alpenglow above the Sierra Nevada crest, Yosemite National Park.

Lenticular Clouds, Alpenglow Reflections. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Two lenticular clouds in the alpenglow above the Sierra Nevada crest, Yosemite National Park.

This photograph comes from her the end of the spectacular afternoon and evening that I’ve been posting about recently. To quickly recap, I saw lenticular clouds forming over the crest earlier in the day, headed to this spot that I had scoped out previously, then photographed all the way from pre-golden hour through sunset and on into the early dusk. This photograph was made just after sunset, when the pink light was still coloring the sky and the landscape but the blue of evening was gradually taking over.

If you head out into the landscape often to photograph, you will experience a lot of fine but unremarkable days. With care, you can make good photographs in those conditions. You’ll also experience a few “meh” days when nothing happens. (Deny all you want, but you’ve experience it!) But it seems like this earns you an occasional luminous miracle, when everything comes together and amazement ensues. If there is a downside to this, it might be having to explain to people that, “yes, this really happened!” That’s a small price to pay.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Ridge, Last Light

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Ridge, Last Light
The last evening light strikes the top of a Sierra crest ridge

Ridge, Last Light. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last evening light strikes the top of a Sierra crest ridge.

As a photographer of landscapes I like to think of myself as being something of a connoisseur of sunsets. Hey, I’ve seen a few of them! There is not denying that it is a special time of the day, just like dawn, when the landscape undergoes a rapid and often striking transformation, made more notable against the backdrop of daytime light that changes very slowly. As the day comes to an end the changes accelerate — shadows lengthen, the sun approaches the horizon or other blockage, the color of the light warms, and distant clouds and other features begin to affect the local scene. Quickly the light disappears, leaving some alpenglow if you are lucky, and then the transition slows again as darkness falls.

Over several evenings it became obvious that this ridge above our camp was the last one to get the sunlight. Since we were camped to the east of the Sierra Nevada crest, there was little full-on sunset light here. However, given the curved shape of the upper canyon and the high peaks on the crest, there were a few spots like this one that were open to the light coming from far to the west. On this evening some clouds assembled above the ridge, creating a more dramatic backdrop.

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 and Amazon.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Ridge And Lake, Twilight

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Ridge And Lake, Twilight
The last twilight alpenglow on peaks above a John Muir Wilderness lake

Ridge And Lake, Twilight. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last twilight alpenglow on peaks above a John Muir Wilderness lake.

A group of us spent last week base-camped at 11,000′ in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, in an open landscape of lakes, meadows, granite slabs, and high ridges. Our most pressing concerns were making photographs, reveling in our surroundings, and enjoying one another’s company. We do this every year — some have been doing it for nearly two decades, I’ve been part of it for about ten years, and we added one new participant this time. In some following posts I’ll have more to say about the goals and experience of such a thing.

Because of our location, each evening the final light would fall on a long ridge above a high, glaciated valley to our southeast. Although the sun had already set, this high spot was open to light coming from the other side of the Sierra crest, far to the west and perhaps even along the distant Pacific coast. Set against the twilight sky and shadowed nearer landscape of rock, water, and trees, this last bit of light was dramatic, and it never failed to capture our attention.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpenglow, Ridge and Valley

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Alpenglow, Ridge and Valley
The last alpenglow light of the evening comes to an alpine ridge and valley under a cloudy sky, John Muir Wilderness

Alpenglow, Ridge and Valley. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last alpenglow light of the evening comes to an alpine ridge and valley under a cloudy sky, John Muir Wilderness

These backcountry Sierra Nevada photographic expeditions make for long days, though by the end of the summer the sun sets earlier, and we frequently found ourselves in the tent by 8:30 or even earlier. The days start early — up before dawn, and how much before dawn depends on each person’s objective for the “morning shift.” We photograph for a few hours and then the less interesting midday light brings us to a stop — and we reassemble in camp for coffee and breakfast and conversation. Later in the day, perhaps by around 4:00 in the afternoon, it is time to head out once again, this time looking for subjects in evening light.

I made this photograph on one of these evening outings. We had gone to a beautiful meadow at a slightly higher elevation, in a place where the meadow is overlooked by some rocky benches and where views to the open country to the south were alpine and breathtaking. As the evening light came on and the shadows rose up the peaks, I had my eyes on the sun/shadow line as it ascended this hanging valley. Eventually the light lingered momentarily on the highest ridges before it rose to the top of the peaks and disappeared.

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