Tag Archives: backlight

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

Shoreline Forest

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Shoreline Forest
“Shoreline Forest” — Trees grow along the shoreline of a Yosemite high country lake.

When I plan to spend a morning photographing in an area like this in Yosemite, I figure I have perhaps 3-4 hours of interesting light for morning photography. I typically start with a subject that works well in predawn light, move to one that focuses on the actual sunrise, then move around to find other subjects when their best morning light arrives. A subject like this one typically comes later and is often the final one of the morning.

I made the photograph in full sunlight, though it was slightly muted by some thin haze. I was interested in the interplay between the shapes of the trees and their shadows. In order to create this composition I had to photograph essentially directly into the morning sun light, though I positioned myself so that the shadow of one of the trees blocked the direct light.

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Three Trees, Rocky Slopes

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Three Trees, Rocky Slopes
The conifer trees, illuminated by morning backlight, against a background of rocky terrain slopes.

Three Trees, Rocky Slopes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Three conifer trees, illuminated by morning backlight, against a background of rocky terrain slopes.

Our August backcountry sojourn with a group of fellow photographers began with the absolute heaviest downpour I have experienced during decades the Sierras. It began within seconds after we got our tent (mostly) up and continued for hours, on into the evening. We all crawled inside our tents and tried to stay dry and warm as hail and rain poured down, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the roar of the rising waters on the nearby creek started to get our attention. The weather remained “interesting” on into the second day, only beginning to finally clear a bit on the second evening. But the next morning came with a beautiful sunrise and plentiful sun — and that is when I made this photograph.

This group of three trees stood on rocky ground, and because of that they were not blocked by other trees. As the morning sun rose it finally topped a ridge to the east and the light began to strike the trees. This kind of backlight, especially when it falls on trees, is one of my favorite things in the Sierra. So it should be no surprise that I made a series of photographs of this group, some in landscape orientation and some in portrait orientation. In this one I chose to let the glowing trees fill as much of the frame as possible.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Rocky Peninsula, Wilderness Lake

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Rocky Peninsula, Wilderness Lake
Trees grow on a rocky peninsula extending into a Yosemite wilderness lake.

Rocky Peninsula, Wilderness Lake. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Trees grow on a rocky peninsula extending into a Yosemite wilderness lake.

By this point it is probably no secret that I’m a fan of almost any subject that gets backlit. That kind of light is high on my list of things I look for when I doing landscape photography, especially away from the golden hours times. When the light shines from behind trees, their needles and leaves can seem to glow and their color becomes more intense. (A few friends refer to this a “G Dan light,” but I know I’m not alone in this fascination with back light.)

I made this photograph at a Yosemite wilderness lake where we were camped for about a half of a week a few years ago. The scene was perhaps a bit less alpine than the terrain that I’m usually attracted to, but the gentle landscape of this spot grew on me as we spent time there and I explored it. At least twice a day, morning and evening, I wandered out to walk around the edges of this lake, becoming acquainted with its features and the various ways that the light changed throughout the day.

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 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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Canyon and Mountains, Morning

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Canyon and Mountains, Morning
A Death Valley canyon and mountains, backlit by early morning winter light.

Canyon and Mountains, Morning. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A Death Valley canyon and mountains, backlit by early morning winter light.

I have a bit of a long relationship with this spot in Death Valley. I stop there on almost every visit to the park, typically either very early in the morning (arriving before dawn) or else for last light in the evening. I’ve been there when the wind was strong enough to make it difficult to walk, when it was unbelievably cold, on still warm days, in blah conditions that made me ask “why?,” — and on one memorable occasion I had to turn back because there was too much snow!

As a photographic subject this landscape is greatly dependent on conditions of atmosphere and light. in “normal” light in the middle of the day it is a gigantic vista but rarely a compelling photograph. But early in the morning very interesting things can happen, especially when the backlight is strong and there is just enough haze in the air to make the atmosphere glow.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | 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.

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