Tag Archives: color

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Aspens in a Row

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Autumn Aspens in a Row
A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

Autumn Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

After years of photographing near her, this row of tall and straight aspens is almost an old friend. I visit every fall, trying to time my arrival for the best color — well into the colorful phase, but with most leaves still intact. I also time it for late in the day, when this canyon falls into shade and the light softens, revealing colors and shadow details that are lost in bright midday light.

This group of trees is a welcome exception to the typical Sierra patterns of aspen growth. In photographs from other parts of the American West you may see extensive groves of tall straight aspens extending into the distance. That sort of thing is extremely rare here. The trees are often much shorter and they are frequently twisted and bent. But occasionally, where the conditions are right, the Sierra manages to produce some of the tall and straight specimens… like those seen here.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Break in the Overcast

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Break in the Overcast
Late afternoon sunlight breaks through overcast to illuminate eastern Sierra aspen groves.

Break in the Overcast. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Late afternoon sunlight breaks through overcast to illuminate eastern Sierra aspen groves.

On this year’s early October visit to the Eastern Sierra I was surprised to find more color than expected here and at other familiar locations. The high elevation color is typically past its peak by this date, mid-elevation color is getting good, and lower trees are still mostly green. But this year felt different — it seemed like the higher trees sustained their colors while the lower trees were ahead of schedule, with the result that the color spanned a wide range of elevations.

Heading south after crossing Monitor Pass I passed by this familiar vista. I was surprised by the amount of color and the good condition of the trees, so I made a point of scheduling a return visit in the evening when the trees are usually backlit right before the sun drops behind the crest. However, clouds had entered the picture and the light was dull… until a few beautiful beams of light broke through the overcast shortly before sunset.

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.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin

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Aspen Forest Mono Basin
A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

I first encountered this aspen forest perhaps a decade ago while poking around in places other than the usual aspen locations. After a few visits I started to figure out the rhythms of the place and when the colors peak — which is not typically at quite the same time as in much of the Sierra. I’ve wanted to photograph the carpet of aspen trees here, but conditions were never quite right… until this morning of peak color with clouds softening the light and sky.

Many of these trees are small compared to the idealized tall, straight aspens that many have seen. But there are few places in California where as may grow so densely in uninterrupted groves. This must be a very old grove, as there are bare, dead snags mixed in among the living trees. Also unusual: the trees ascend to virtually the summit of this ridge.

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.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Dense Autumn Aspens

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Dense Autumn Aspens
A grove of dense and colorful autumn aspen trees, to the east of the Sierra Nevada.

Dense Autumn Aspens. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A grove of dense and colorful autumn aspen trees, to the east of the Sierra Nevada.

This dense grove of autumn aspen trees, perhaps just past the peak of their seasonal color, provided an opportunity that isn’t easy to find in these groves — a slightly elevated position looking down into and across an aspen forest that stretched away up a nearby hillside. I was actually here to photograph something else, a distant landscape. But once I finished that task I moved on and spent some time with these trees.

Unlike many of the trees in my aspen photographs, these are not technically in the Sierra Nevada. Instead they are in a smaller range located east of the Sierra. The range may be smaller, but it is still high, with peaks over 11,000′. Being in the rain shadow of the Sierra, these mountains are rather dry, but there’s enough moisture to sustain very large stands of aspen trees.

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.)

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