Tag Archives: clouds

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

Morning Light, Forest and Granite

September 18, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning light on forests and granite terrain along the Tuolumne River on a day of rain and wildfire smoke

After about five days of beautiful late-summer conditions high in the northern Yosemite backcountry we descended to a lower elevation, partly in preparation for our departure a few days later and partly (OK, mostly) so that we could photograph in a different location for a few days. On the morning of our move to the new spot we saw a small bit of smoke in the far distance, over the shoulder of Clouds Rest, but it didn’t seem much different from the other small bits of smoke coming from the usual late-season managed fires. However, as we began our cross-country route down a steep canyon we saw that the smoke had grown and that the plume was now extending over our position. Not long after this, as we neared the bottom of the canyon, the smoke became very thick, blotting out the sun and dropping ash on us. We knew that the fire, no doubt whipped by winds that we experience in our location, had taken off — this was the start of the big “Meadow Fire” that burned in Little Yosemite Valley and which forced a number of back-country visitors to evacuate.

Fortunately, that night it rained — what perfect timing! The next morning we were up to make photographs, and for most of the day we shot between the periodic showers that swept through. Early in the morning I went to a high place to photograph this view down the canyon as light, somewhat obscured by clouds and lingering smoke, broke through gaps in the clouds to strike the forest along the river banks. But further down the canyon another shower was on its way, and before long I had to leave my position here and scramble back to my tent to wait out the next bout of rain.

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Morning Light, Forest and Granite

Morning Musings

(Belated) Morning Musings for 9/11/14

September 11, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

OK, I am posting this “morning musing” in the afternoon, following last night’s late night return from a ten-day photographic adventure in the back county of Yosemite National Park, where I joined six other photographer friends to photograph some of our favorite subjects: rocks, trees, water, clouds, peaks, and that Sierra light. (All of the blog posts you might have seen from me since about September 1 have been “canned,” queued up in advance for automatic posting. I may not have acknowledged all comments that were left here while I was away… and I now have a thousand or more emails staring menacingly in my direction, demanding attention!)

The trip was wonderful — for the beauties to be photographed, of course, but at least as much for the company. Thank you Charlie, Karl, Mike, Keith, Scot, and Annette for being such great — and humorous — trail and photography friends and partners.

We were in the back county of the northern portion of Yosemite National Park. And, yes, we did encounter the effects of the fire still burning behind Half Dome and Clouds Rest, though from a relatively safe distance in our case. We were nowhere close to being evacuated, unlike those folks who were along the Merced River drainage in and above Little Yosemite Valley, some of whom were airlifted out ahead of the fire.

From our distant location we did see the fire begin on Sunday morning, when we saw a small bit of smoke that looked much like the many other small, seasonal fires that are common at this time of year. By midday the smoke had grown and was blowing our direction as the winds began to pick up. Late in the afternoon we encountered very strong winds and worried more about how they would affect this fire. The magnitude of that effect soon became clear, as within an hour of so a very thick smoke plume crossed over us, muting the sun and turning it a strange yellow-pink color, and soon began to see ash falling from the sky.

But we are all back, safe and sound, and with many images to review and begin to work on. Stay tuned!

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Nevada

Nevada Sky

September 4, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cloud-filled evening sky above the basin and range country of Nevada

Speeding across northern Nevada on the California Zephyr, bound for Chicago and then New York City, the first day of our trip was coming to an end as evening arrived somewhere between Winnemuca and Elko Nevada. We began the day at the western terminus of the rail line in Emeryville, California, then crossed the Sierra in thunderstorm weather, passed through Reno, and then headed northeast into the basin and range country and the Humboldt Basin. The sky continued to be filled with monsoon clouds — showers were visible in the distance and there were periodic dust clouds raised by the wind.

During most of this traverse between Reno and Winnemuca it was difficult to see how to make a photograph from the train. Shooting through train windows is, to say the least, a challenge — reflections, spots on the windows, and the close by landscape speeding past an image-blurring speeds. But as we got to Winnemuca the light began to change, and what had been low contrast and gray began to acquire the warmer late day colors, and the clouds began to thin enough that there was now a mixture of sky and towering clouds. This is one of several photographs that I made during the last few minutes of decent light.

Photographs: New York City

Steps, Hudson River, Winter

August 31, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Steps, dormant trees, and the Hudson River, Winter

We recently returned from a visit to New York City that lasted a bit longer than a week. New Yorkers shake their heads when I admit that we chose to visit New York in August — they know (and so do I) that this can be a time of miserable heat and humidity. But we got lucky and had mostly quite decent weather and even a few mornings that felt cool. On one of these days we took a train ride up the Hudson River to see this area that everyone tells me is so beautiful. And it is. Unlike California with its (beautiful, once you get to know it) golden-brown summer vegetation, here everything it green and the light is soft.

But that’s not when I made this photograph. I made this one at yet another time when New Yorkers might think only fools would choose to be there — the cold, mid-winter period between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Again, we were lucky. It was cold, but we managed to just miss some quite serious snow, and our ability to be out and about was unimpaired. On this day we decided to head a bit north on the subway and visit the Cloisters Museum, a surprising and impressive place that focuses on art and architecture from the Medieval period. Between the subway and the museum we walked up these steps, and it seemed to me that the bare branches, the gray and cloudy sky, the few remaining autumn leaves, and the stone steps captured the feeling of this winter day.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: clouds

Morning Light, Forest and Granite

(Belated) Morning Musings for 9/11/14

Nevada Sky

Steps, Hudson River, Winter

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