Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A green springtime meadow near the base of steep Yosemite Valley granite cliffs.

While clear, sharp-edged light and atmosphere are great when I want to show detail and/or photograph something a long ways off, soft and low-contrast light with a bit of haze is often more evocative. That’s what you see in this photograph, made near the end of the day as the sun was low, its light filtered through afternoon haze and muting the colors just a bit.

This is not exactly an iconic spot in Yosemite Valley, but it is one that I often return to. Depending upon the season and the conditions there may be a variety of opportunities here. There’s a small meadow with a seasonal pond (flooded right now!) and it provides views of the surrounding cliffs. Forest surrounds the meadow and ascends the lower cliffs. And even though a Valley roadway isn’t far away, a short walk here brings quiet.

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

Trees At The Meadow. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A line of old, tall trees next to a Yosemite Valley meadow.

This comes from my one-day trip to Yosemite Valley and back — an ordeal I tolerate from time to time when something interesting is happening in the Valley and my schedule doesn’t permit a longer visit. This time I realized that the crowds of Memorial Day weekend and beyond were days away, and that I had not yet photographed the spring runoff. There are (obviously!) some downsides to driving 400 miles round-trip, starting around 3:00AM, photographing through the day, and not returning home until after midnight. One is that there are a lot of hours between the ideal early and late light.

I made this photograph during those midday hours. While these long trips require using some of this time for necessities such as napping and eating, I do wander and photograph a bit. Although it is harder of find photographs in this light, it isn’t impossible… and, for course, a bit of meandering on trails, even easy ones, can get me away from the worst of the congestion that is a feature of the Vally during the prime tourist season.

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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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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