Tag Archives: clearing

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

Sunset Storm Light

Image Leave a comment
Sunset Storm Light
Clearing storm clouds at a final wash of sunset color above the Sierra crest near Tuolumne Meadows

Sunset Storm Light. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clearing storm clouds at a final wash of sunset color above the Sierra crest near Tuolumne Meadows

This is another photograph from my mid-July evening of miracle light — or, more accurately, my five minutes of miracle light! As I wrote earlier, I had ascended this high point in the Tuolumne Meadows area on an evening when the light was about as “blah” as it gets. There were weak thunderstorms floating around over the crest, but they were more gray and flat that electrical and exciting. And the cloud shield extended a good distance to the west, which meant that no western light was making its way in to live up the scene. But there I was, on top of a high and spectacular place with a remarkable panoramic view, so I was starting to settle in to simply enjoy the experience and perhaps not make photographs.

But… sometimes boring conditions can actual be precursors to sudden changes and even very special conditions. On overcast mountain evenings (and mornings) there may be a distant break in the clouds near the horizon, and if the setting (rising) sun passes through that space at the right moment a sudden beam of colorful light may illuminate the landscape with golden hour or pinkish light. I felt that the odds weren’t with me on this evening, but I hadn’t written off the possibility entirely either, and I kept my gear at hand just in case. Perhaps five minutes before sunset the first pink light appeared to the north on distant clouds and then began to faintly glow on the closer domes. Within in seconds the scene went from gray and flat light to this marvel of warm reddish tones. I photographed rapidly for perhaps five minutes or less… and then it was gone.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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

Spring Meadow, Clearing Clouds

Leave a comment
Spring Meadow, Clearing Clouds
Clouds and mist clear above Tuolumne Meadows, still brown and full of spring run-off

Spring Meadow, Clearing Clouds. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds and mist clear above Tuolumne Meadows, still brown and full of spring run-off

Every spring (or early summer in very wet years) I try to head up to Tioga Pass Road, Tuolumne Meadows, and Tioga Pass on the day that this trans-Sierra highway reopens for the season or as soon thereafter as possible. The road opens as early as late April and as late as early July, depending on various factors but mostly on the amount of snow that fell over the winter. In heavy snowfall years, especially when winter conditions last later, even in July there can still be a lot of snow on the ground and there is water everywhere. Two years ago there was still a lot of snow, waterfalls were everywhere, creeks were overflowing, and in places the water flowed right across the roadway.

This was not a very wet winter. Early in the season it looked promising, but then there was an extended warm and dry spell early in 2018. Fortunately there was a second surprise — a wetter and colder end to the winter season. When all was said and done, while the winter wasn’t complete bust it was well below normal. Given those conditions I was surprised when the road didn’t open until the second half of May. I made it up there a few days after the opening and spent a day along the route, enjoying the transitional return to the warm season, watching ephemeral signs of the snow melt, and making a few photographs. Meadows that are lush and green as I write this post were still brown when I visited. It takes a while for the snow to melt, the water to collect, and the grasses to come back to life. This photograph looks across Tuolumne Meadows, across which the Tuolumne River meanders, toward more distant ridge and domes blanketed by clearing mist and clouds.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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

Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon

Leave a comment
Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon
Morning light on clearing clouds, Merced River Canyon and Lower Yosemite Valley

Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on clearing clouds, Merced River Canyon and Lower Yosemite Valley

Yes, another photograph in the “Bierstadt morning” series, as I’ve come to think of it. (Albert Bierstadt was a renowned 19th-century landscape painter whose work in Yosemite is famous. His paintings, while true to the subjective experience of the place, relied on enhanced effects of color, light, perspective, and atmosphere.) As I have written, this morning started cloudy and gray but quickly transformed into a marvel of clouds, mists, and light that continued well into the mid-morning hours.

I began photographing in a location overlooking the main valley, but then decided to head up to this area, where I was thinking of several possible subjects. As I watched the play of light and atmosphere I decided to forego some of the intimate landscape opportunities and intend go for this large-scale scene looking up the valley of the Merced River. Working from one of the more obvious spots in the park, I set up and spent an hour or so watching the constant transformations of the scene as clouds opened, light appeared and moved across the scene, fog came and went, and more.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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

Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon

Leave a comment
Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon
“Clearing Clouds, Merced River Canyon” — Morning sun breaks through clearing clouds above Merced Canyon

If I had to choose my favorite conditions of atmosphere and light, something like this morning would be on my short list. The light was a surprise that emerged after I had almost written off the potential as being bland and gray. Since the clouds were in motion, the light was constantly changing — at moments it actually was not that interesting, but suddenly the clouds would shift and light would emerge, frequently moving across the scene and providing more than one opportunity. There were multiple levels and types of clouds. A thick overcast lay high above, though it was occasionally broken. Other clouds occasionally formed directly on the peaks, and others drifted below me, often low enough to count as fog. This show actually continued for several hours.

The location here is a fairly iconic spot that many who have visited Yosemite will immediately recognize. (However, as I discovered as visitors new to the park stopped and asked questions, to many this is a wholly unfamiliar view, which probably makes in even more spectacular to them.) If you look closely you will likely recognize the famous feature that provides a point of focus. The vantage point gives a view looking up the canyon of the Merced River and into the lower end of Yosemite Valley. This section has more of the v-shape of a river gorge, but the classic glacial u-shape begins under the brightest section of the lower clouds and then tracks to the left. Those light beams are real, and as I photographed they were traversing the scene from right to left.

COMMENT OR QUESTION? Scroll down to the comment form.

Prints are available. Read about licensing and print sales.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.