“Autumn Aspen Leaves” — Aspen leaves turn orange and brown in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
There are little personal spots all over the Sierra Nevada that I return to each year — a bend in a road, a tree, a favorite rock, a viewpoint. These trees are on that list. I suspect that most passers-by might not really notice them. They are along a route to a different popular place, and there’s a good chance that most people are thinking more about that destination. And when people leave that other spot, their attention may well be focused on the road more than on a couple of trees. But I notice, and I stop almost every time.
“Mono Lake, Earth Shadow, Clouds” — Mono Lake, evening clouds, earth’s shadow above the horizon
A few clouds drifted east from the Sierra crest and held together long enough to occupy the sky above Mono Lake at sunset. The long shadow of the Sierra stretched across the foreground shoreline and tufa formations, and in the distance the earth’s shadow is visible above basin and range mountains.
“Dawn, Mono Lake” — Mono Lake tufas under a colorful pre-sunrise sky.
In the right conditions, a Mono Lake sunrise can be spectacular. To some extent it is up to the clouds. Clouds produce the most colorful sunrises, of course, but if they are too thick or in the wrong place they can also “turn out the lights.” The ideal, I think, is for it to be clear on the eastern horizon, with scattered clouds closer to the lake. Almost anything goes in the west — some clouds there to catch the light can be good, but clear skies and the earth shadow or even dark and dramatic clouds can work.
“Tuolumne Sunset” — Looking westward at sunset sky, Tuolumne Meadows.
On this late-August evening I headed to a spot along the Tuolumne River that I had scouted earlier that afternoon. I’ve previously photographed from this location at sunset, so I had a general idea of what I would be working with. The photograph I had in mind was not this one — it fact, the planned photograph had me pointing the camera in exactly the opposite direction, toward the Sierra Nevada crest.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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