Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sky

Mono Craters, Evening Cloudscape

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Mono Craters, Evening Cloudscape
“Mono Craters, Evening Cloudscape” — Dissipating afternoon storm clouds above Mono Craters.

I made this photograph at the end of a beautiful afternoon of aspen photography that was enhanced by the passage of impressive thunder storms. I had completed the day’s aspen photography and dropped back down into the high desert along US 395 in the Mono Lake area when the clouds began to thin and break up and glow in evening light. Here some lenticular clouds were forming over the Mono Craters.

The Mono Craters comprise an interesting bit of geology that we might not automatically associate with the Sierra Nevada. We tend to think of the range being built by the uplift of gigantic “blobs” of granite, with deeply eroded overlaying material above. But volcanic processes were at work out here, too. Mono Craters are a particularly obvious example that you cannot miss as you drive south from Mono Lake — and part of a chain of volcanic cones extending from the north short of the lake to south of Mammoth Mountain.

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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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Slopes

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Aspen Slopes
“Aspen Slopes” — Aspen covered slopes on the east side of the Sierra Nevada.

People new to the autumn aspen “scene” in the Sierra Nevada often ask, “Where is the best place to find the aspens in the Eastern Sierra?” My answer may sound facetious, but it is accurate — “In the Eastern Sierra!” Sure, there are particular places where everyone goes to look and photograph, and many of them are spectacular. But the trees are everywhere. Drive across any Sierra Pass (slowly!) and you’ll find them. Head up or down US305 and watch (mostly) to the west, and you’ll see tons of them. Head up into most any east side canyon and they will be there.

In some other places large swaths of trees change virtually at the same time — in New England, for example. But things are more varied in the Sierra, and the color sustains itself for almost a month. It starts at the highest elevations and more in the north than the south. Then, generally speaking, it works its way from high to low and from north to south — through there are some variations here and there caused by exposure and availability of water. The trees in this photograph are in the transition zone between the dry high desert terrain and the first conifer forests as the elevation rises.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

East Side Morning

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East Side Morning
“East Side Morning” — Early morning light on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada near Parker Pass.

There are few sights more beautiful and spectacular than a shoulder-season sunrise on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada. Believe me, it is well worth getting up long before sunrise and putting on all of your warm clothes! Many of the best views on these mornings are from a distance away from the base of the mountains, where you have a clear view that stretches from the high desert at the base of the range right on up to rugged, snow-covered summits.

While my main goal for heading out there in late September and early October is to photograph the changing fall colors, the light and atmosphere change, too as summer fades and autumn arrives. When I went there on this visit I had just returned from two-and-a-half months of overseas travel, and I was missing “my Sierra!” I headed into the high country to set up camp, and from there I wandered on foot and by vehicle — and on this morning my wandering took me out into the high desert east of the range before dawn.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Black Oak Trees

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Autumn Black Oak Trees
“Autumn Black Oak Trees” — Autumn black oak trees in a Yosemite Valley meadow.

When we think of fall colors, most often trees like maples or (in the West) aspens come to mind, not oak trees. But in the right light the black oaks of Yosemite Valley can put on quite an autumn color show. While the leaves tend more toward brown than yellow, when backlit they glow and the yellow tones predominate. I photographed these trees in soft backlight, and the color shift is clear.

Oaks are common all over California and the Sierra foothills, but there are some special circumstances in Yosemite Valley that enhance their appearance. Obviously, simply being in this place has some advantages! But because its cliffs are so tall, beams of sunlight appear and disappear as they move around the Valley, highlighting the trees in fascinating ways. Here a bit of light from the top of the background cliffs illuminates these trees, while the more distant forest remains in the shade.

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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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