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

Aspen Grove and Pond

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Aspen Grove and Pond
“Aspen Grove and Pond” — Autumn aspen trees on the shore of a small Eastern Sierra Nevada pond.

I came to this spot rather late in the day, though that was partially intentional. I knew that rows of aspens here can glow in backlight in the late afternoon, and there is a short window of opportunity between the time that the sun moves behind them and when it drops behind the surrounding peaks. I arrived and quickly went to work, since I had my eyes on several of the groves.

These trees grow in a row on the far side of a beaver pond. You wouldn’t know it from the photograph, but it can be a bit difficult to find a camera position with a clear view across the water — lots of stuff grows along the near shoreline, and much of it is so wet and muddy that it isn’t easy to get to the water’s edge. When I made the photograph the far slopes of the upper valley had already fallen into shadow, and before long the light would disappear from these trees, too.

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, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Eastside Canyon

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Eastside Canyon
“Eastside Canyon” — Fall color in a steep and rugged Eastern Sierra Nevada canyon.

This might be one of the most classic Eastern Sierra canyons. A short spur road off of US 395 quickly climbs old glacial moraines, and before long high desert and cottonwoods transition to the first aspen trees. There is a parking lot at the end of the road, and from there a trail heads straight up the canyon, passing through this transitional high desert terrain, then through aspen groves, and before long entering conifer forest beneath stunning alpine ridges and peaks.

On this occasion I photographed from areas along the road, since I was scouting fall color. It had been cold and the highest peaks were dusted with the light snow from an early season storm. Aside from the conifers, the vegetation was in that beautiful, late-fall golden state that signals the arrival of autumn and the impending onset of winter.

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: 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.

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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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.

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