Tag Archives: california

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

Aspens, Evening Light

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Aspens, Evening Light
Colorful autumn aspen trees in soft evening light, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Evening Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Colorful autumn aspen trees in soft evening light, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

The light changed quickly and the scene fell into shadow as the sun dropped behind the Sierra crest — if I worked quickly I might catch the last bit of light on the foreground aspen grove. It would have been humorous to watch me work in a distinctly non-landscape-photographer mode, quickly extending tripod legs, attaching lens to tripod and camera to lens, locating a composition, figuring out an exposure and grabbing a few frames as the last light began to fade.

The trees in this photograph exemplify features of this year’s aspen color season. In many places whole groves seemed to produce good color all at once, different from the typical gradual pattern. There was also good color late in the season, perhaps due to a lack of big storms, particularly wind storms.

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, Photographs: Yosemite

Black Oaks, Autumn

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Black Oaks, Autumn
A row of tall black oak trees in autumn colors, Yosemite Valley.

Black Oaks, Autumn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of tall black oak trees in autumn colors, Yosemite Valley.

These trees, located in an iconic Yosemite Valley Meadow, call to almost photographer. They are interesting at almost any time of year — whether skeletal silhouettes in winter snow, brilliantly green in the spring, or brightly colorful in autumn light. This specific line of trees has always challenged me — one of those “this should be easy” scenes in which it can be difficult to find effective compositions.

On this autumn day the conditions were a combination of the normal for fall — colorful leaves, golden-brown meadows — and something less common, namely smoke from a nearby management fire. At times the smoke was thick, as you’ll see in some other photographs I made during this visit. But midday breezes thinned the smoke, leaving the colors and shapes of the tall trees more clearly visible.

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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Black Oaks, Smoke

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Black Oaks, Smoke
Smoke from a management fire surrounds autumn black oak trees in Yosemite Valley.

Black Oaks, Smoke. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Smoke from a management fire surrounds autumn black oak trees in Yosemite Valley.

Smoke drifted in and out as I photographed trees in this meadow. The light changed as beams passed through a gap in the ridge and moved across the landscape. I moved from position to position, trying to keep up with the unfolding scene. Landscape photography can be less of the sedate and quietly thoughtful experience than some assume. We work with the conditions we are given, and sometimes they are quite dynamic. Recently I shared another photograph of this same group of trees, made at almost the same time. Even disregarding the slightly different compositions, a comparison shows how much the light and haze changed between the two exposures.

How we regard fire in a place like this is a complex subject, especially for those of us who were brought up during the decades when Smoky the Bear told us that the only good fire is no fire at all. It turns out that Smoky was wrong, and too much fire suppression allowed extremely flammable undergrowth and detritus to build up, and when fire did inevitably arrive it consumed forests whole, utterly destroying them in many cases. New, enlightened policies recognize that fire is a natural part of forest ecology, and that it keeps the forest healthy. The smoke in this photograph comes from a managed fire, designed to clear out the built-up undergrowth. Yet, while I know this is a good thing, I can’t say that I enjoy working in the smoke!

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face

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Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face
A small group of autumn aspen trees grows against an Eastern Sierra Nevada rock face.

Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A small group of autumn aspen trees grows against an Eastern Sierra Nevada rock face.

Aspen trees present in all sorts of fascinating ways — individual trees, huge groves, short, tall, straight, bent, in full color, still partially green, almost bare, in valleys, on ridges, among other trees. I think they are all photographable, but I am especially attracted to colorful trees set against rocky slopes. The contrasts are fascinating — the bright yellow of the trees and the blue-gray of rocks, the slender fragility of aspens and the solid character of stone.

This photograph was almost — but not quite — an afterthought. I had gone to a location to photograph a different subject, but conditions were not favorable for that original plan. So I looked around and saw small groups of trees across the valley, each of them standing at the base of rocky slopes. Working quickly before the bright direct sun arrived, I photographed them in the soft, shadow 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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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.