Tag Archives: country

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

Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset

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Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset
The last light of the day touches the top of Sheep Peak in the McCabe Lakes Basin, Yosemite National Park.

Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last light of the day touches the top of a peak in the northern backcountry of Yosemite National Park.

This is not a new photograph — rather, it is a reconsideration of one that I made almost a decade ago and recently looked it with new eyes. The location is in the northern backcountry of Yosemite National Park, in a somewhat remote area characterized by high ridges, rocky terrains, and some lovely lakes. I was there with a group of friends and photographers for a few glorious days during which we took our time and explored the surrounding terrain.

We were camped at a lower lake among forest trees, in a location that gave us shelter but also access to tons of higher, more alpine terrain. Often we headed off individually to photograph, but on this late afternoon we all headed to the same place, ascending a slope at the upper end of “our” lake to arrive at the next lake up the valley. Sequences of lakes like this are common in many backcountry areas, and I enjoy the individual personalities of the lakes as they are affected by terrain and elevation. This lake was surrounded by alpine meadows, very small and sparse trees, lots of talus, and towering peaks.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Alpine Lake Shoreline

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Alpine Lake Shoreline
Morning light on shoreline terrain at a backcountry Yosemite lake.

Alpine Lake Shoreline. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on shoreline terrain at a backcountry Yosemite lake.

Today I continue the retrospective reminiscence, looking at a few older photographs made more than a decade ago at a favorite Yosemite backcountry location. By the time I made the photographs in this series, I had probably been visiting this place virtually every year for over two decades. Perhaps because it is the sort of place where you can get to high elevations pretty quickly, it drew me back again and again. Over time I became very familiar with the lake and its surroundings, to the extent that it became a sort of backcountry home away from home.

I would typically camp here in an area sheltered by trees and equipped with glacial rocks apparently designed with excellent sitting and cooking opportunities in mind. Over the years I tended to go later and later in the season, often making this the last trip of a season after the summer crowds had departed. While there are lots of photographic opportunities in the surrounding alpine meadows and ridges, I often simply got up and wandered around the lake in the early morning 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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Green River Canyon

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Green River Canyon
A hazy evening overlooking the Green River Canyon as sunset.

Green River Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A hazy evening overlooking the Green River Canyon at sunset.

The story of this photograph — and this version of the image — is a bit involved for the usual two-paragraph post, but here goes. The first part concerns the fact that this is not a new photograph, but that I created and shared in the past. However, as I looked at it during my pandemic project of reviewing old files, I began to feel that it could benefit from a bit of reinterpretation. The result is not radically different, but I like it a bit more. A slightly modified crop and a few other bits of post-processing revision provide a stronger sense of what I recall experiencing when I made the photograph.

And speaking of making the photograph, this is where I get to — yet again! — tell a story on myself. I made the photograph on the first day of my first-ever visit to this Utah national park and, as is my frequently practice, I entered this park having done essentially no prior research. My idea, at least most of the time, is that I don’t want to go to such places with too many preconceptions, preferring to go with my own personal response to the place. (Funny story: We passed a turn-off at one point to “Mesa Arch,” one of this things that every photographer must “capture” in this park. I had no idea it was there… and we kept driving.) So, we entered the park and drove up to the “island in the sky” mesa area and began poking around. Eventually we “discovered” a location with a spectacular panoramic view down into and across the magnificent canyon of the Green River. I later came to understand that perhaps I wasn’t the first person to visit this spot… to put in mildly.

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 and Amazon.

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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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Waterfall And Late-Season Lupine

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Waterfall And Late-Season Lupine
Late-season lupines bloom in rocky terrain below a high country Sierra Nevada waterfall.

Waterfall And Late-Season Lupine. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late-season lupines bloom in rocky terrain below a high country Sierra Nevada waterfall.

Our visit to this location, at 11,000′ in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, took place during the last few days of August and the first two days of September. Yes, we were there on Labor Day — and we watched lots more people show up on that last weekend! Most people regard this as the end of the backcountry season. The daylight hours decrease noticeably, and while the weather remains generally beautiful there may be a chill in the air a bit more frequently.

In a typical year the Sierra Nevada high country often becomes rather dry by this time. During August the meadows usually turn golden brown, stream flows diminish, and most wildflowers are just a memory. But in wet years – and this was one of those — there can be a colorful surprise for late-season visitors. We arrived to find lots of flowing water, meadows that still were green in many places, and even copious wildflowers. Here we found huge beds of blooming lupines, an unusual site for the start of September!

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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