Tag Archives: aspen

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

Conway Summit Aspens in Rain

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Conway Summit Aspens in Rain
Conway Summit Aspens in Rain

Conway Summit Aspens in Rain. Conway Summit, California. October 3, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall rain and mist mute the colors of the extensive aspen groves above Conway Summit on Highway 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Just back from the eastern Sierra an hour or so earlier, and I want to get something posted before going to bed – so here is more or less the last photograph I made today. It rained lightly (and sometimes more heavily) all day, starting when I woke up in Bishop Canyon, continuing as I photographed in that general area until the early afternoon, and then following me north as I headed up to the Lee Vining area. Although I saw a few spots of sun as I drove towards this huge aspen grove near Conway Summit, by the time I arrived it was raining steadily. My plan was to decide here whether to continue my aspen hunt into the evening as I drove further north… or to recognize that the weather was going to be an issue and instead head up Tioga Pass and over the pass to return home.

Since it was raining at Conway Summit, after stopping to make a few exposures (including this one) I headed back to Lee Vining and then up to Tioga Pass. This Conway Summit photograph probably illustrates some important variables of landscape photograph in general and aspen photography specifically. Based on visits to this area in previous years, I was expecting less color than I found – while a lot of trees were still green, the higher trees had turned their most intense colors, and sections of the lower groves also were quite colorful. Despite the planning that gets me to places like this at the right time of day and at about the right time of the year, some things cannot be controlled – in this case, it was the weather. Also, even though I came here with a fairly specific shooting plan, once I arrived the conditions were tough enough that I had to work quickly. Fortunately I know this place pretty well, so I was able to find the scene I wanted to shoot without a lot of searching and I was then able to capture a few frames quickly… and get back into the car and out of the rain!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Locations, Sierra Nevada Fall Color

Photographing Eastern Sierra Aspens – A Few More Thoughts

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Aspen color season is now underway in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range of California – or at least that’s what I hear. I haven’t been over the crest quite yet to see for myself, but others are writing about it and posting photographs, and my previous experience tells me that now is the time. I wrote extensively about this last year (see the article here) so I’ll try to keep this somewhat short, and mainly focus on some ideas about how to approach the whole process if you are planning to photograph the aspens this year.

Photographers who haven’t photographed the Sierra Nevada fall aspen color often have a series of questions – some of which I’ll answer directly and some of which I’ll be cagy about.

When do the trees change colors?

In my experience the first hints of change can may be seen in late September, though I’ve seen a few odd trees here and there get some color as early as the middle of the month. The core of the real “show” tends to be roughly around the first week of October, extending from a bit earlier than that until perhaps mid-October. You can perhaps find a few trees after that at lower elevations and in sheltered areas, but not many. (In a reply found below, Michael Frye says that he finds his best aspens a bit later than this. He knows what he is talking about!)

As I write this near the end of September, 2010… the change is underway. I’ll be going very soon. But before I do…  Continue reading Photographing Eastern Sierra Aspens – A Few More Thoughts →

Commentary

Eastern Sierra Aspens Post Updated

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I just updated a post that I first shared last year regarding photographing the fall color of the eastern Sierra Aspen trees: Sierra Nevada fall color season – coming sooner than you think! I have updated and modified some of the information, and in keeping with my concerns about damage caused by too many visitors I have added a section addressing related issues.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen, Rock, and Lichen

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Aspen, Rock, and Lichen

Aspen, Rock, and Lichen. Sierra Nevada, California. October 3, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autum aspen colors against a background of lichen-covered rocks near South Lake, Sierra Nevada, California.

This splash of color comes from a roadside aspen in full fall glory, found along the roadway to South Lake not far from Parcher’s Resort in the eastern Sierra Nevada range above Bishop California. I was attracted not only to the colorful fall leaves of the tree, but also to the background of shaded granite and the greenish lichen that covers the rocks.

This photograph is from my early October visit to the eastern Sierra Nevada to hunt aspen color. This was one of those trips on which the weather was beautifully awful. This day started with very high winds and cold temperatures, and throughout the day I encountered overcast and scattered snow flurries.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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