Tag Archives: califoria

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon

Bare Aspen Trunks and Fallen Leaves

October 9, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The white trunks of nearly leafless aspen trees with fallen leaves below, Bishop Creek, California.

While the brilliant fall colors of the eastern Sierra aspens are an obvious attraction, I also like the bare, white trunks that begin to appear more clearly as the leaves fall. In fact, in some ways I prefer them as a subject to the leave. While I can’t stop myself from shooting those incredible colors, at some point they almost seem to produce a sort of visual overload. But the light-colored trunks, ranging from stout older trees to delicate and twisting small trees, especially against a background of rocks, fallen leaves, or the clutter of the forest have their own magic.

This is a scene from no special place – it is a just a spot along a road that I passed over more than once. I had shot in the general area earlier, but only noticed this as I passed by again on this cloudy and misty morning when the softer light allowed more of the details to appear and the slight rain brought out the colors a bit more.

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.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Trees and Boulders, Bishop Creek

October 6, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 6 Comments

A row of aspens in full orange autumn color stands in front of a boulder field on a rainy evening, Bishop Creek, California.

I have visited this bunch of colorful trees before, but in the past have arrived just past the end of the prime color – but this time I think I hit the upper reaches of Bishop Canyon below South Lake at almost exactly the right time. Not only was the color at its peak, but the overcast, late day illumination, and light rain served to increase the intensity of the colors. I also feel that the background of large gray slabs and boulders provides a nice contrast to the very light tones of the aspen trunks and the gaudy colors of the leaves.

When it comes to fall color, each year seems to have its own personality. Some years feature brighter colors and others seem to be less striking; some seem to start early and others linger. Some years fall seems more like summer; but in others the weather seems to move quickly to winter. It is perhaps too soon to say for sure, but I have a feeling that this fall – at least the early weeks in the eastern Sierra – may go down as one of the most colorful and spectacular in a number of years.

I’ll mention a technical point about this photograph as well. For this image I used one of my favorite landscape lens, especially when I’m shooting more intimate details of the landscape, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 zoom. You’ll often hear people say that the best lens for landscape work is a wide angle lens. While the wides have their place, I think it is far too much of a generalization to say that any particular focal length is necessarily the most appropriate for landscape. Basically, any focal length that works with your subject and your concept of the subject is the right lens.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Grove, Bishop Canyon

October 5, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 7 Comments

Twisted and leaning aspen trunks in a large grove in the Bishop Creek drainage, Sierra Nevada, California.

These trees are in a grove where I have stopped quite a few times with the intent of making photographs, but never quite seeing what I wanted. I’ve been there on sunny days, and early in the morning before the direct sunlight strikes these trees. This was the first time that I’ve photographed these trees and felt that it was a success – and I think that the different light conditions are the reason. As I made the photograph it was overcast and raining lightly. From moment to moment the amount of light would subtly vary, but it remained soft and diffused due to the clouds and rain.

I also took a lot of time just wandering around in this grove and looking – in fact it would probably be accurate to say that I did more looking than photographing! I actually walked out of the grove a few times, thinking I was done, only to see another potential angle and wander back in again.

The fall color season in the eastern Sierra has become more and more popular with photographers over the past few years, due perhaps to the adoption of DSLR cameras and to publicity about the subject on the web. However, while some places are extremely crowded, others are can still be fairly quiet and uncrowded. And, fortunately, while the crowds seek out the familiar shots it is possible to find less crowded places… even as scores of photographers drive past them on their way to the iconic sites where they will line up side by side to make the same photographs.

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.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Morning Squall, South Tufa

August 1, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 3 Comments

Thunderhead builds above Mono Lake — “Morning Squall, South Tufa” — The shoreline of Mono Lake as a morning squall drops rain over the Sierra Crest near Lee Vining, California.

This photograph is, in a number of ways, a sort of happy accident. I had been camped in the Tuolumne Meadows area for several days, photographing in that part of the Yosemite National Park Sierra Nevada high country. On the previous day I had been caught out on a hike in a surprise thunderstorm without rain gear, so I was very conscious of the weather. That evening it occurred to me that, given the approach of some monsoonal moisture and the already wet weather, it was possible that interesting clouds might form in the Mono Lake area the next morning.

That night I peered out of my tent from time to time to see if any clouds were interrupting the light of the full moon, thinking that this might be enough to get me to change my plans for morning photography and make the drive to Mono Lake. At one point a few clouds did dim the moon light, and a bit later a few showers came through. At this point I decided to get up earlier and drive to the lake.

I thought I got up early enough. However, as I drove down highway 395 south of Lee Vining I realized that I had miscalculated and that the sun was already hitting the clouds! I experienced a classic photographer’s dilemma – shoot what I see here now, or race on hoping to shoot the planned thing. I decided to stop and photograph the first light on the Sierra crest from 395 before heading on — but now my original plan for a pre-dawn visit to Mono was out the window. After finishing here I made my way to Mono just as the first sun was striking the lake. I quickly made it out to the shoreline and saw (how could anyone miss it!?) this giant cloud cell blowing up over the Sierra crest just north of Lee Vining.

This post was revised in April, 2025.

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