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

Half Dome and El Capitan, Morning

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Half Dome and El Capitan, Morning
Half Dome and El Capitan, Morning

Half Dome and El Capitan, Morning. Yosemite National Park, California. June 5, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of backlit Half Dome framed by steep Yosemite Valley canyon walls including the face of El Capitan.

Allow me one more photograph in the recent sequence of black and white photographs of “Yosemite icons.” On most drives into and out of the Valley I stop and look at this scene and frequently try to photograph it if the conditions are special. In the morning there is often haze here, and this creates an effect of atmospheric recession from the half dozen or so layers in the scene. It is a tricky thing – a bit too much haze and the details of forest and rock can become almost invisible; too little haze and the contrast between brightly lit highlights (like the patch of snow on Half Dome) and the deep shadows can become quite stark. The image I have in mind includes the effect of atmosphere-highlighted distance, the effect of back-lighting on the trees (most obvious here perhaps at the lower left), and the abstract nature of the different intersecting slopes and faces.

A technical note: I used the Canon 5D2 with the EF 100-400mm zoom at 365mm to make this photograph. Some doubt that a zoom like this can produce enough resolution, but at full size I can just barely make out a couple people on the snow bank atop Half Dome. Sharp enough for me!

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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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 365mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/400 second

keywords: yosemite, national, park, sierra, nevada, mountain, spring, nature, valley, half, dome, el capitan, forest, ridge, mountain, cliff, face, back, light, trees, atmosphere, recession, distance, sky, snow, patch, field, summit, canyon, bright, landscape, scenic, travel, california, usa, north america, mariposa, county, haze, stock, black and white, monochrome, morning, highway, 120, icon

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

Bridalveil Fall and Merced River Canyon, Morning

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Bridalveil Fall and Merced River Canyon, Morning
Bridalveil Fall and Merced River Canyon, Morning

Bridalveil Fall and Merced River Canyon, Morning. Yosemite National Park, California. June 5, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of Bridalveil Fall and the Merced River canyon in morning backlight – Yosemite Valley, California.

This is the classic view of Bridalveil Fall looking up the canyon of the Merced River as seen from highway 120 just below the longest tunnel on the road descending into the Valley. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven down this road into The Valley, but I seem unable to resist pulling over and at least having a look.

On this early June morning all of the waterfalls were in full flow and the Merced was only 24 hours away from cresting with spring melt-water. The Merced was full from bank to bank, and the sound of falling water was everywhere in the Valley. (Though I only stayed there a few hours before the crowds drove me to visit Tioga Pass instead.) I wasn’t certain quite how to photograph this as the backlit morning haze created a very low contrast effect in the atmosphere even though the areas where the sun hit the water (on the river and at the top of the fall) were very bright. I had a hunch that it might work best in black and white, and after working on it a bit in post that hunch seemed to be correct.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 360mm
ISO 200, f/4.9, 1/320 second

keywords: yosemite, national, park, sierra, nevada, mountain, spring, nature, bridalveil, fall, waterfall, merced, river, canyon, cliff, valley, black and white, monochrone, forest, morning, light, back, havze, atmosphere, recession, mist, slope, ridge, shadow, landscape, nature, travel, scenic, california, usa, north america, road, highway, 120, stock

Commentary, Equipment, Technique

Updated for 2010 – My Backpacking Photography Gear

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At about this time every year interest increases in the question of what equipment can work well for back-country photography. Over the years I’ve working out an approach that seems effective for my photography. A few years back I wrote an article here describing this, and I just made a few minor updates to it this morning. If you are interested, take a look at this description of my “Backpacking Photography Equipment.”

Keep in mind that my goals include making photography a primary focus of many of my back-country trips – so I’m perhaps will to endure a bigger load of gear than some might be willing to carry. Also keep in mind that I’m working to create photographs that can be turned into rather large and high quality prints – if your goals are more modest (and for most people, they should be!) you probably want to consider a somewhat different setup. Differences in your subject preferences – wildlife? macro? – might also suggest a different setup than I use.

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

Subalpine Meadow, Evening – Evelyn Lake

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Subalpine Meadow, Evening - Evelyn Lake

Subalpine Meadow, Evening – Evelyn Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late summer evening light in a subalpine meadow near Evelyn Lake in the Yosemite National Park back-country.

I’m pretty certain that my favorite time of year in the Sierra starts right about when this photograph was made – early September right after the Labor Day Holiday. I’m also certain that my favorite terrain – I call in “my Sierra” – is this sort of open timberline country with a mixture of subalpine meadow, stunted forest, and open views of surrounding higher terrain.

On this day I had come up to Evelyn Lake – located very near the Vogelsang High Sierra camp – from Lyell Canyon. After a late arrival at my Lyell Canyon camp the night before and the rather stiff morning climb up the Ireland Lake trail, I arrived here feeling pretty tired. I pretty much set up my bivy sack camp and took a big nap! Later in the day as evening approached I came back to life and decided to make a few photographs. This photograph of the meadow and a bit of a meandering stream in the meadow was made within a few yards of my campsite on the shoreline of the lake.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

keywords: stream, creek, meander, meadow, grass, plant, foliage, flora, rock, boulder, tree, forest, sub, alpine, tundra, ridge, rocky, sky, blue, cloud, cloud, pastel, sunset, evening, dusk, light, evelyn, lake, back, country, backpack, trail, hike, camp, nature, landscape, travel, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, stock