Tag Archives: bank

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

Dusk, Mounts Dana and Gibbs, Tuolumne Meadows

July 18, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Glowing lenticular cloud formations above alpenglow-illuminated Mounts Dana and Gibbs and the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California.

From mid-July through the first week of September, Tuolumne Meadows is a very popular high Sierra destination in Yosemite National Park. The meadows, which are much more extensive than drive-through visitors know, comprise one of the largset and most spectacular examples of sub-alpine meadows and are surrounded by spectacular high peaks including some, like Mounts Dana and Gibbs, that sit on the crest of the Sierra Nevada range.

Several thousand people camp at Tuolumne every evening, and after dinner many of them sit around their campsites and engage in the ritual burning of wood and other camping activities. Meanwhile, a five minute walk from the campground, a handful of people sit or stand alone or in small groups along the edge of the huge sub-alpine meadow or along the Tuolumne River and wait for magic to happen. On this evening in early July there couldn’t have been more than 30-40 people in the meadow with more near their cars along the roadway. And on this evening the magic did happen.

I feel sorry for those folks in the campground who had no idea of the sublime scene taking place mere steps away.

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” – Ansel Adams

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

keywords: yosemite, national, park, california, usa, sierra nevada, summer, tuolumne, tioga, river, mount, dana, gibbs, bar, bank, meaadow, forest, trees, lenticular, clouds, formations, pink, blue, gray, sunset, dusk, evening, lembert dome, reflection, rocks, water, sky, alpenglow, snow, peak, mountain, landscape, travel, scenic, stock

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

Last Light, Tuolumne River

July 17, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

The last light touches the top of Lembert Dome and the peaks of the Sierra Crest beyond and the light from lenticular clouds is reflected off the surface of the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California.

If you don’t like sunsets… you may want to check back in a few days – this is the second of what will be a sequence of at least four photographs taken on one amazing evening in Tuolumne Meadows in the Yosemite high country of the Sierra Nevada. I posted one from the series yesterday, so I won’t repeat the entire story, but here is a bit of background information.

There is a particular set of Sierra Nevada weather conditions that I’ve experienced only a few times in its perfect state – but when it happens the sky does absolutely astonishing and magical things. There is at least one photograph in this series that may make you think that I invented the colors in post, but I assure you I did not.

Sometimes in the afternoon a stable wind pattern sets up over the peaks on the Sierra crest. The clouds, in this case the curving lenticular clouds seem to just park over the ridge. If this continues, late in the day the number, height, and size of these clouds can increase dramatically. But, as spectacular as this may be, it isn’t quite enough for the conditions I experience this past week. For this to happen, some broken high clouds should extend to the west of the range – clouds to create color when lit by the last light of the setting sun, but broken so that the light can project east onto the lenticular clouds over the crest.

On this evening I saw all of the pieces falling into place and thought that maybe, just maybe, it might happen. With this in mind I was in Tuolumne Meadow nearly two full hours before the actual sunset. I spent the first twenty or thirty minutes scouting out my location – I needed to know exactly where I would shoot from since I didn’t want to be caught looking for a composition when/if this light arrived. With a composition scoped out I spent perhaps 30-45 minutes wandering around nearby shooting various subjects as the evening wore on. An hour before sunset I was back at “the spot” – covered in mosquito repellant! – and watching and waiting.

I won’t tell the whole story here – but this photo was made at just about the time it became apparent that the “magic light” was not simply possible but actually quite likely.

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

keywords: yosemite, national, park, california, usa, sierra nevada, summer, tuolumne, tioga, river, lember, dome, reflection, gravel, bar, ripple, flow, bank, grass, meadow, forest, tree, rock, boulder, plant, snag, ridge, sierra nevada, crest, peaks, mountain, range, mount, dana, gibbs, kuna, crest, mammoth, peak, sky, pattern, formation, lenticular, weather, meteology, landscape, scenic, travel, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Pacific Ocean, Rocks, and Clearing Fog

July 12, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Offshore rocks and clearing fog above the Pacific Ocean, Big Sur coastline, California.

Over the past few years I have a made a series of what I think of as “minimalist seascapes” that feature mostly straight-on views of the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, often with fog or clouds and various patterns on the water. As we drove south down the Big Sur coastline last at the start of the Fourth of July weekend I spotted the fog starting to break up over this section of almost completely still water – and I imposed on my wife to stop while I set up the tripod and made a few exposures. (I make it almost a rule to not do landscape photography while I’m with family. My work habits would drive any sane person completely nuts!)

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

keywords: big sur, california, usa, seascape, landscape, minimalist, rock, surf, wave, foam, blue, kelp, sea, weed, ocean, pacific, reflection, gray, fog, bank, sky, morning, distant, surface, swell, highway, one, coast, coastline, summer, clearing, travel, scenic, stock, foam, wave

Photographs: Sports

At the Front – American Velodrome Challenge

July 1, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Two track riders at the front of the group and coming out of a turn in front of the stands – American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer Park, San Jose, California.

I’m curious… there were quite a few other photographers at this event. Has anyone seen any other photographs from them yet?

This is yet another in the recent “motion blur photographs of bicycle track racing” series. To add one note to this series – it occurred to me today that these are a type of night photography. I do quite a bit of night photography, though it is usually the more typical tripod-based stuff. However, these images were made in lighting conditions not all that different from some of my urban night photo work.

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

keywords: bike, bicycle, racing, track, velodrome, national, professional, san jose, california, usa, two, rider, racer, competitor, sprint, bank, curve, turn, santa clara, county, hellyer, park, night, pack, group, peloton, american, challenge, stock

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: bank

Dusk, Mounts Dana and Gibbs, Tuolumne Meadows

Last Light, Tuolumne River

Pacific Ocean, Rocks, and Clearing Fog

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.