Tag Archives: california

Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point

Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point

Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of early evening light on Tenaya Lake and surrounding valley and peaks as viewed from near Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park, California.

On this late summer evening I had just hiked out from a three-day backcountry photography pack trip, driven over Tioga Pass to grab a bit at Tioga Pass Resort, and was starting my drive home from the park. I happened to pass by Olmsted Point (where I don’t stop all that often these days) just as the sun was getting read to drop behind the ridge to the west of the point. To my mind, this is just about the most beautiful time of day at this spot, especially as the low angle sun illuminates rocks in the Olmsted Point area and begins to leave the valley holding Tenaya Lake. To make a long story short, I spent 30-45 minutes photographing here before heading home, and I make a few exposures of Tenaya just as the last light was hitting some of the nearby trees in the foreground.

keywords: black and white, early, evening, afternoon, tenaya, lake, olmsted, point, yosemite, national park, california, usa, tree, rock, forest, boulder, dome, peak, mountain, ridge, cloud, conness, tioga, road, pass, tuolumne, meadows, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, shadow

Last Day of Summer, Last Flowers of Summer

Last Day of Summer, Last Flowers of Summer

Last Day of Summer, Last Flowers of Summer. Calero Hills, California. September 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Last day of summer with new and old buds on early autumn foliage in the Calero Hills, California.

I was out early in the morning on the last day of summer 2008, photographing at one of my favorite nearby locations in the Calero Hills, when I found these interesting plants for a small pond. They show an interesting range of colors, from the yellow of a few remaining buds to the browns of the old and dried flowers – and seem to sort of capture this transitional time of the year.

keywords: calero, park, santa clara, county, summer, last day, nature, california, usa, plant, flower, bud, brown, green, new, old, dry, foliage

Poison Oak Leaves, Last Day of Summer

Poison Oak Leaves, Last Day of Summer

Poison Oak Leaves, Last Day of Summer. Calero Hills, California. September 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Poison oak leaves on the last day of summer against a backgrouind of branches and early autumn colors – Calero Hills, California.

My last-day-of-summer morning hike at Calero Park began early and in cloudy weather – but the overcast saturated the colors on some of the early fall colors, including the leaves on this poison oak bush on a grassy hillside.

Yes, I was careful not to get too close! I shot this with a telephoto lens…

keywords: calero, park, santa clara, county, summer, last day, nature, california, usa, plant, flora, poison oak, leaf, branch, seed, nature, autumn, red, fall, branch, twig, hills, stock

Mount Whitney, Guitar Lake, Evening

Mount Whitney, Guitar Lake, Evening
The west face of Mount Whitney at sunset, viewed from Guitar Lake

West Face of Mount Whitney, Guitar Lake, Evening. Sequoia National Park, California. August 10, 2008. © Copyright 2008 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The west face of Mount Whitney at sunset, viewed from Guitar Lake

Near the end of my early August 2008 trans-Sierra pack trip from Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal we found ourselves at Guitar Lake, the traditional base camp for west side approaches to Mount Whitney. We arrived fairly early to set up camp, and after lazing around and finally getting dinner it was time to do some photography – so I took my equipment and headed to the outlet of the lake where I made this photograph as the last sun hit the peak and was reflected in the lake.


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.
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