Tag Archives: cathedral

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Sports, Photographs: Yosemite

Climbing Rescue

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Climging Rescue
A helicopter hovers next to a cliff above climbers in Yosemite Valley.

Climbing Rescue. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A helicopter hovers next to a cliff above climbers in Yosemite Valley.

If you visit places like Yosemite often enough, the sight of helicopters doing rescue operations almost becomes a normal part of the experience. I saw this helicopter parked in a Valley meadow, surrounded by climbing rangers and crew, but I didn’t stop. Instead I went up the road a bit to photograph some spring trees. But soon I heard the thing take off and saw it rise up toward this face on the far side of the Valley, so I quickly swapped in a long lens and make a few photographs as it ferried climbers back and forth.

I’ve watched a few of these operations over my years visiting the park. We once witnessed a rescue off the top of a dome near Toulumne in electrical storm conditions, and a few years ago we got buzzed by a helicopter looking for a missing person in the backcountry. But the drama of “parking” the helicopter so close to the rock face caught my attention here. I kept thinking that it was great that there was no wind! If you look closely you can see a group of climbers on a ledge in the shaded vertical crack system near the right side of the photograph.

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

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall

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Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall
Bridal Veil Fall, beyond the Merced River and silhouetted trees.

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Bridal Veil Fall, beyond the Merced River and silhouetted trees.

Something tells me that I am not the first person to photograph this waterfall between these trees — but it was there and I was there, so I made a photograph. I like the fact that the waterfall is almost an afterthought, a minor element in a scene that is mostly about other things — especially the silhouettes of these trees and the reflections on the high water in the Merced River.

Speaking of that water… near the end of spring the water levels in Yosemite Valley were nothing short of amazing. There have been past floods when the water levels were a bit higher, but I’m not aware of a recent season when sustained water flow was this powerful or high. Everywhere meadows are flooded, rivers are nearly out of their banks, and waterfalls are roaring.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama

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Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama
A backcountry trail crosses a small creek with long views of the Cathedral Range and the Sierra crest.

Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A backcountry trail crosses a small creek with long views of the Cathedral Range and the Sierra crest.

This photograph will be the first in a short three-post series featuring a few of my favorite backcountry locations in Yosemite National Park. This one comes from a trail that heads out of Tuolumne Meadows toward some lovely high country lakes. I’ve walked this route many times, on everything from aggressive daylong out-and-back hikes to multi-day backpacking trips.

Like almost all trails, there are moments of difficult work (like the last mile to camp!) on this route and some special, beautiful places that stick with me. This is one of the latter. After climbing through forest and past the base of some large slopes, the trail emerges into this lovely, open meadow with expansive views. The Cathedral Range and more distant Sierra crest peaks stretch across the horizon. I know this exact spot — these rocks, this bit of water, that small tree — very well. I always stop here, remove my pack, and sit for a while.

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

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel

Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis

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Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis
Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, Le Marais, Paris

Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, Le Marais, Paris.

This church figured briefly in the text accompanying a recently-posted photograph of a historic Paris fire alarm station. The story is that I wasn’t sure what building this is. It caught my attention, for obvious reasons, while walking in Le Marais, so I made a photograph — but I neglected to note the precise location or even the identity of the place. (I often prefer to not do too much research about a location in order to retain some of the fun of “discovering” it.) I finally figured it out by spotting its reflection in the fire alarm photo!

The remarkable church was constructed in the 1600s, which explains the detailed architecture. Today the colors of certain features are quite striking — those red doors and the sun design around the clock, for example.

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.