Tag Archives: aspen

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

Aspens In The Shadows

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Aspens In The Shadows
“Aspens In The Shadows” — Extensive autumn aspen groves in evening shadows, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

If you have been following along this fall, by now this general area may start to look familiar to you. I was fortunate to be there when the colors were at their peak — that brief interval when almost all of the leaves have turned but before too many of them fall. Finding trees in this condition is partly a matter of local knowledge, but it is also a matter of luck — autumn storms and wind can quickly take down a lot of leaves when they are at this stage, and seeing an intense display like this requires a few prior days of calm conditions.

I know that the typical inclination is to photograph these trees in daylight. After all, the most intense colors appear when the sun is behind the groves, creating a glowing backlight on the leaves. But the color can also be quite intense in softer light, such as this light in the early evening.

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

Stream, Autumn Reflections

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Stream, Autumn Reflections
“Stream, Autumn Reflections” — An Eastern Sierra Nevada stream reflects autumn aspen colors.

This is an older photograph (by a year or so) of a stream that I have photographed before — and I have shared other photographs of it here. It is a spot that I frequently pass, often stopping but typically not photographing. In some ways the subject can seem like a bit of a one-trick pony, and it is often photographed in pretty much the same way. But I stopped on this afternoon and liked the light, especially the bright aspens and their reflection in the stream.

On a technical note, this is a somewhat challenging kind of photograph to make. The difficulty is that there is a huge range of luminosity values between the brightly sunlit golden aspen leaves and the much darker creek running through the shadows. In the early days of digital photography this might have required a blend of two or more images, each optimized for either the bright or dark tones. But with a modern camera it is now possible to capture a useful single exposure and post-process it while retaining good quality.

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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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

Autumn Aspen Thicket

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Autumn Aspen Thicket
“Autumn Aspen Thicket” — A thicket of dense aspen trees with autumn leaves, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

This photograph comes from near the end of the autumn aspen color transition. Although one can stretch the season out to about one month, eventually the leaves all fall and we’re left with bare trunks. Generally speaking, the leaves fall first at higher elevations, and that’s where I found this grove. While the fully colorful trees are exciting, I also like this stage when the white trunks start to become the stars of the show.

There are many ways to photograph aspen trees, but I’m particularly fond of softer light. I find this when there is some thin overcast, or very early or late in the day, or even in light rain to snowfall. In this case I photographed at a time when nearby tall ridges blocked the direct sunlight, and the soft light filled 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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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

Lake, Mountains, and Autumn Aspens

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Lake., Mountains, and Autumn Aspens
“Lake, Mountains, and Autumn Aspens” — Colorful autumn aspen trees line the shoreline of an Eastern Sierra lake.

This photograph comes from a popular spot in the Eastern Sierra, along a road that loops out from US 395 south of Lee Vining. While the general area is not my favorite location for photographing fall color, there’s no denying that there are some pretty spectacular vistas here, including along the shore of this lake, a place popular with anglers and people camped at a nearby RV resort. But those trees! And those mountains!

Thinking of this place brings to mind once again the variations in autumn color in the eastern Sierra. This location, being at a somewhat lower elevation and perhaps because it is more affected by high desert climate, tends to see the colors arrive a bit later in the season. Knowing that, as I was starting a long drive back to the Bay Area I swung through here to take a final look before continuing on.

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.