Tag Archives: atmosphere

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Outlet, Morning

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Outlet, Morning
Morning light shines on the formations of a canyon containing the outlet stream of an alpine lake.

Outlet, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light shines on the formations of a canyon containing the outlet stream of an alpine lake.

Don’t hold me to this… but this may be the final photograph in the series from the August Eastern Sierra backcountry trip. A group of us entered the wilderness, set up a base camp, and photographed the area for a week. The group included Michael Frye, Claudia Welsh, Franka Gabler, David Hoffman, Jerry Bosworth, Patty Mitchell, and me — a fine group of colleagues and friends with whom to spend the week! We survived a torrential rain storm on our first day or two, then explored the area around our camp and on up into the high, alpine country nearby.

If you have been following my posts from the trip, this subject perhaps seems familiar by now. The outlet stream from the lake where we camped empties suddenly into a fairly narrow and rugged canyon that descends to a larger valley beyond. The morning light here was often quite beautiful, coming from beyond and somewhat to the right. On this morning a bit of haze, likely from wildfires, glowed in the backlight and slightly muted the details of more distant features.

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

The Ridges Beyond

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The Ridges Beyond
“The Ridges Beyond” — A series of Eastern Sierra ridges leads to the east beyond a backcountry lake in morning light.

Because variations on this particular scene comprise a significant portion of the photographs I made during our August Sierra backcountry sojourn I have been trying to release them somewhat gradually. However, even though I shared a quite different version of the view from this camera position just a few days ago, here’s another. This one is, obviously, a near-panorama rendition that takes in the far edge of “our” little lake, its outlet, surrounding ridges, the more distant scene, and some beautiful morning clouds. The whole scene is softened by a bit of backlit morning haze.

Sometimes I’m immediately certain of what a photograph will look like as I make the exposure. But other times I’m less sure and I reserve judgment, perhaps making multiple exposures that will work for any of several possible directions I might take with the subject. That was the case with this scene — multiple “takes” were required not only for that reason but also to ensure that I’d be able to work with some rather extreme light contrasts between the shadowed foreground and the very bright clouds and sky.

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.

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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

Solitary Tree, Morning

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Solitary Tree, Morning
A solitary tree stands in morning light against a background of rugged, rocky Sierra slopes.

Solitary Tree, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A solitary tree stands in morning light against a background of rugged, rocky Sierra slopes.

One of my favorite places to wander on our recent Sierra backcountry visit — with a group of photographer friends back in August — was an area of creeks and boulder-strewn meadows and small trees that led from near our camp toward the alpine country below barren ridges. Once the nearby creek’s flow diminished following some heavy rainfall, I spent a couple of mornings wandering through this terrain and photographing.

I timed my visits so that the sun would rise after I had gotten a little ways into this area, at about the time that the first sun would strike the trees. On this morning I paused in a meadow that was open to the east, and as the first sun arrived it produced lovely backlight on this tree, set against high and rugged country running up toward a much higher ridge.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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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

Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght

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Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght
Ridges recede in hazy monring light beyond the outlet of a subalpine lake.

Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Ridges recede in hazy monring light beyond the outlet of a subalpine lake.

A short morning walk up a hill from our campsite took us to this view every day during our August Sierra backcountry sojourn, at least if we decided to start out walking in that direction. (The evening view wasn’t bad either!) The scene had quite a variable personality. One night it featured blood red skies as a storm cleared, on another morning a fog cloud briefly nestled in the valley just beyond the outlet, and on this morning the general haziness produced by California wildfires glowed in the early light.

The outlets of most Sierra lakes are a bit less dramatic than this one, but here the bowl containing the lake pinches off to a very narrow canyon through which the stream exits, flowing down a lengthy valley toward a larger river far below. Various formations rise along that valley, and their silhouettes emphasize the distances looking east and down the canyon.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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