Tag Archives: canyon

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Merced Canyon and Sierra Crest, Morning

November 30, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

View of Merced River Canyon and the Sierra Crest from Glacier Point in early morning fall light.

I like to visit Glacier Point at dawn at least once each autumn, and the later in the season the better. This year I got up early on the second morning of my Yosemite Valley fall color shoot and drove up there, arriving as the first pre-dawn light began to arrive. Dawn at Glacier Point, especially at this less-busy time of year is special. For one thing, I’m often nearly alone there rather than being part of the typical sunset crowd.

This photograph was made after the sun had risen above the peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest and had begun to backlight the layers of ridges stretching back along the Merced River drainage towards the highest peaks beyond.

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.

keywords: yosemite, national, park, valley, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, autumn, fall, season, scenic, travel, nature, landscape, california, merced, river, peak, canyon, rock, cliff, face, ridge, crest, morning, light, forest, trees, rugged, glacier, point, overlook, view, snow, field, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Half Dome Sunset from Big Oak Flat Road

November 12, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 4 Comments

Sunset on Half Dome and El Capitan, photographed from Big Oak Flat Road, Yosemite National Park, California.

I almost always stop at this turnout along the Big Oak Flat Road entrance to Yosemite Valley when heading into the Valley and, if the conditions are right, photograph the view up the Valley past El Capitan toward Half Dome. (The turnout is just past the side road to Foresta as you head toward the Valley.) The morning view tends to be, obviously, backlit and often includes a lot of haze – which can be an interesting subject itself.

For some time I’ve wanted to try photographing this view near sunset. I have tried a few times during the past year, but either managed to miss the good light (it starts a bit earlier than I thought it would) or else I had flat and boring light when I arrived. On this afternoon I thought that the light might be more interesting so I managed to leave the Valley soon enough to get to this spot with plenty of time to spare. I actually arrived so early that I didn’t even set up my camera right away – but I was soon surprised by the full moon coming up above El Capitan! (Photos of that scene may be coming a bit later.)

As sunset approached the last light hit the forested ridge in the lower part of the scene and shadows from foreground ridges began to lengthen and get darker.

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.

keywords: yosemite, national, park, valley, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, autumn, fall, season, scenic, travel, nature, landscape, california, sunset, half, dome, el capitan, forest, tree, light, shadow, big, oak, flat, road, overlook, stock, evening, pinnacle, canyon

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Owens Valley, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

McGee Creek Pack Station, Autumn Snow Storm

October 28, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Snow flurries from an early autumn storm mask the high peaks above the McGee Creek Pack Station in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California.

When I’m driving back from the Bishop area I often make a few odd stops at special little places along highway 395 at which I think I might find something special, and the McGee Creek Canyon is one of these places. The canyon is just a short drive above the north-south highway, and in the right conditions it can provide really wonderful scenes – the aspens that grow along the road to the canyon, the views back into and across the valley to peaks beyond, intimate scenes of high desert rocks and vegetation, and from the road end up the steep-sided canyon toward the alpine headwalls of the canyon.

On this early October 2009 day I was returning from shooting near Bishop Creek in light snow and thought I might get some interesting views of aspen color (which didn’t really happen) and the view up McGee Canyon, so I turned off of 395 and headed on up. From previous visits I knew of this specific view from along the gravel road right above the pack station, so I already had it in mind as I arrived. When I saw the cloud-shrouded peaks at the end of the canyon and the foreground light I quickly stopped and set up. The cloud shadows were moving quickly and, unfortunately, heading my direction so I had to work very quickly – and I had just enough time to make this one exposure with the light on the area around the pack station before the light was gone.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gdanmitchell
Friendfeed: http://friendfeed.com/gdanmitchell
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gdanmitchell

keywords: mcgee, creek, canyon, valley, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, crest, peak, alpine, corral, horse, fence, road, forest, sage, brush, light, sun, shadow, frame, snow, flurry, dusting, season, autumn, fall, eastern, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, pack, animal, stock, california, usa, stock, black and white

Commentary, Locations

More Eastern Sierra Aspen Color Conditions

October 5, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

I returned very late last night (Sunday, 10/4/ 2009) from a weekend trip to the eastern Sierra to photograph fall aspen colors. It was, as they say, an “interesting” experience – in many ways not quite typical but in others not totally surprising either. On Saturday I posted “Bishop Creek Aspen Conditions – 10/3/09” in the early afternoon, so this report takes up where that one left off.

After posting that first report from Starbucks in Bishop I drove back up into the Bishop Creek drainage. After getting a camp site at the Four Jeffrey campground (now a surprising $21/night!) I headed up the road toward South Lake to do some late afternoon and evening photography. The weather was not fully cooperative, to say the least! The predicted high winds were arriving in the eastern Sierra, and I think that anyone can understand the “perfect storm” of low light, high winds, and fluttering aspen leaves! I was still able to work with the conditions and get some interesting stuff, though it was a real challenge. To avoid writing the same thing twice, I’ll hold off on the description of the aspen conditions and cover that below as I describe Sunday shooting.

My final stop on Saturday night before putting the camera away for the day was at South Lake, where the wind was howling and the light was fading fast and the temperature was dropping. As I arrived two rather cold-looking backpackers flagged me down and asked, with a certain amount of intensity, if I would drive them down to Bishop. It turned out that they had just finished a 22 mile day, coming from just below Mather Pass, and were exhausted. Realizing that it was time to recharge my own supply of backpacker hitchhiking karma (e.g. – sometimes I need a ride back to my car!) I agreed to squeeze them into the car and drive them down to Bishop. Continue reading More Eastern Sierra Aspen Color Conditions →

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