Tag Archives: america

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trees and Reflection

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Trees and Reflection
“Trees and Reflection” — Trees in morning light are reflected in the surface of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

There is a wonderful morning moment in the mountains when the sun finally rises above surrounding high ridges and the first direct light strikes trees and meadows and rocks. Not only is the warmth appreciated, but when the light strikes trees from behind it sets them off against the still-shaded mountain slopes.

Of course, you do have to get up early to see this. And I can attest to how difficult it can be to struggle out of a warm sleeping bag in the dark, dress in the cold, and leave that comfortable tent. But I guarantee that the results are almost always worth the effort.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trunks and Needles (Vertical)

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Trunks and Needles (Vertical)
“Trunks and Needles (Vertical)” — Trunks and needles at the base of a small copse of Sierra Nevada backcountry trees.

This photograph is the companion to one of the same subject that I shared a while ago — that one was in landscape (or wide) orientation, while this one is in portrait mode. I photographed the bases of these closely-spaced trees during a short backpacking trip into the Sierra Nevada east of Yosemite National Park back in July.

These pines (lodgepole) are ubiquitous in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, and their form varies greatly depending on things like the elevation, the nature of the ground they grow on, and available moisture. While they can form forests of tall and straight trees, they can also adopt the twisted and bent forms typical of high elevations trees.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Cliff Detail

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Sandstone Cliff Detail
“Sandstone Cliff Detail” — A section of a sandstone cliff face featuring fracturing, strata, exfoliation, and water markings.

The textures, forms, colors, and patterns found in Utah sandstone walls amaze me. They can be so complex that I sometimes imagine that I see things like writing or images, but patterns formed naturally over the millennia. Here we can see layering at more than one angle, marks left by dripping and flowing water, the effects of exfoliation, and more.

This bit of wall might usually not get a lot of attention. If I recall correctly (it has been a decade) I found it in an odd corner of a canyon at Capitol Reef — not in a particularly iconic location within the park. Because it was later in the day the high canyon walls blocked the direct sunlight, allowing the softer light to fill that shadows a bit and reveal more details.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Lakeside Meadow, Boulders, and Trees

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Lakeside Meadow, Bourlders, and Trees
“Lakeside Meadow, Boulders, and Trees” — Before the sun arrives, a scene at the shore of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake with meadow, boulders, and trees.

The Sierra Nevada is a place of diverse terrain — rugged alpine ridges and summits, gentle meadows, both dense and open forests, streams and rivers, and more. But my favorite places are mostly like this one, where the last trees are about to give way to barren alpine country, and where meadows, running water, and lakes are plentiful.

This scene is typical of that region. It is along the shoreline of a moderate-sized lake at just over 10,000′ of elevation. Away from the meadow and the lake, forests of good-sized lodgepole pines grow, but here in the open it is all about the light, meadows, rocks, sparse trees, and water.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.