Tag Archives: copse

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

Morning Trees

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Morning Trees
“Morning Trees” — A small group of pine trees at Tuolumne Meadows in bright morning light.

Previously I have mentioned that certain boulders, hillocks, bends in creeks, and trees in the Sierra are “old friends” of mine that I have visited regularly for decades. These trees are among those friends. It isn’t unusual for me to photograph Tuolumne Meadows in the early morning, and these trees stands at the west end of the meadow, positioned before a panorama of meadow, forest, and peaks.

To be honest, it was no longer exactly “early morning” when I made this photograph, at least not by photography standards. (“Early” means things like arising at 3:00am, setting out on a hike at 3:30am, or arriving at a location more than a half hour before sunrise.) The sun had risen above the peaks of the Sierra Crest, and it was making the atmospheric haze glow.

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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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trunks and Needles

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Trunks and Needles
“Trunks and Needles” — Trunks and needles at the base of a small copse of Sierra Nevada backcountry trees.

It was early evening, and I had been working subjects along the shoreline of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake. There’s lots to see in such places — the shoreline itself, meadows ringing the lake, boulders scattered here and there. As the light over the lake became less interesting my attention turned to the nearby lodgepole pine forest.

While the lake was fairly well-lit, with nothing to block the remaining light, the forest was dark and mysterious. As I poked around the forest’s edge I found several examples of twisting trees growing very closely together and catching the colorful reflected light.

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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.

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

Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist

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Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist
“Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist” — Morning mist rises from a subalpine meadow with trees in the foreground and peaks in the distance.

For a few days in early July I had this usually-crowded Yosemite location almost to myself. The nearby high-country campground was not yet open, and entry-restrictions to the park reduced the number of visitors. I camped just outside the park’s boundaries, and I entered in the mornings before sunrise — there was no line and I could get to my destinations quickly. On a couple of mornings the sunrise destination was this great subalpine meadow.

The meadow runs from east to west, so sunrise and sunset tend to send light down its length. I positioned myself near the west end on this morning, which meant that I was shooting nearly directly into that morning light. Here I placed a group of trees along the right side of the frame, to contrast the dark forms of their trunks and shadows with the lighter distant mountains, details muted by backlit haze.

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

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

Shoreline Forest

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Shoreline Forest
“Shoreline Forest” — Trees grow along the shoreline of a Yosemite high country lake.

When I plan to spend a morning photographing in an area like this in Yosemite, I figure I have perhaps 3-4 hours of interesting light for morning photography. I typically start with a subject that works well in predawn light, move to one that focuses on the actual sunrise, then move around to find other subjects when their best morning light arrives. A subject like this one typically comes later and is often the final one of the morning.

I made the photograph in full sunlight, though it was slightly muted by some thin haze. I was interested in the interplay between the shapes of the trees and their shadows. In order to create this composition I had to photograph essentially directly into the morning sun light, though I positioned myself so that the shadow of one of the trees blocked the direct light.

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

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)