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

Aspens and Evening Shadows

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Aspens and Evening Shadows
“Aspens and Evening Shadows” — Long evening shadows creep across aspen groves in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

This photograph comes from one of those evenings when I almost packed up and left too soon. At this location there is beautiful late afternoon back-light on aspen groves in the fall, but then the sun quickly drops behind higher peaks and “turns out the lights.” That had already happened on the trees that were my primary subject, and I thought it was time to leave. But hen I noticed that the long shadows from the peaks were stretching across the trees and the rolling hills of this Eastern Sierra landscape.

It is hard to know when to stick around to see what will happen versus when it is time to move on to a different subject. I wish there was a simple rule to apply to this conundrum, but I’ve never discovered it. Sometimes staying is the right choice, but sometimes I stick around and the light just… goes away. And, of course, sometimes when I move on I do encounter something remarkable that I might have missed. However (you saw this coming, right?) I’ve also driven or walked away to look for a better subject only to be stumped.

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

High Desert Aspens in Transition

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High Desert Aspens in Transition
A grove of high desert aspens in transition to autumn color.

High Desert Aspens in Transition. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A grove of high desert aspens in transition to autumn color.

Although my first inclination has always been to think of aspens as being trees of the high, subalpine zone, in fact they grow right down into the high desert, including along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. As such the trees are often found juxtaposed with what seem more like desert landscapes than the mountain scenes we might expect. I’m fascinated by these places, and I’ve long looked around for more examples.

This little winding grove sits near the bottom of a shallow valley that likely holds a stream during the spring melt. Here most of the trees are the typical small and sometimes stunted type, but the skeletons of a few taller trees are mixed into these little groves.

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

Aspens, Evening Light

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Aspens, Evening Light
Colorful autumn aspen trees in soft evening light, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Evening Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Colorful autumn aspen trees in soft evening light, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

The light changed quickly and the scene fell into shadow as the sun dropped behind the Sierra crest — if I worked quickly I might catch the last bit of light on the foreground aspen grove. It would have been humorous to watch me work in a distinctly non-landscape-photographer mode, quickly extending tripod legs, attaching lens to tripod and camera to lens, locating a composition, figuring out an exposure and grabbing a few frames as the last light began to fade.

The trees in this photograph exemplify features of this year’s aspen color season. In many places whole groves seemed to produce good color all at once, different from the typical gradual pattern. There was also good color late in the season, perhaps due to a lack of big storms, particularly wind storms.

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, 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.