Tag Archives: cover

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

Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow

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Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow
New snow partially covers autumn oak leaves along a Yosemite Valley trail

Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New snow partially covers autumn oak leaves along a Yosemite Valley trail

Sometimes in California I can experience at least three seasons on the same day. (I’ve occasionally wondered if I could cram evidence of all four into a single photograph, but so far haven’t figure out how.) For example, it isn’t impossible to find a scene that includes brown autumn leaves, snow, and new growth. A hot autumn day might include fall colors and perhaps a recent snow flurry on high peaks. Travel less than 100 miles from an inland area to the Northern California coast and go from 100+ degree temperatures to cold and wet enough that you might want a pair of gloves. Descend from a snowy peak, through forest, and end up in desert.

By those standards, this photograph perhaps falls short, as only two seasons are represented — the winter snow flurry and the brown leaves of autumn oak trees. It was not snowing as I made the photography, but it had snowed just a few hours earlier here in Yosemite Valley, and as I hiked along the base of granite cliffs and past conifers and oaks there were still places where the snow had not melted.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Owens Valley, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Mt. Humphreys, New Snow, Sunrise

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Mt. Humphreys, New Snow, Sunrise
Mt. Humphreys, New Snow, Sunrise

Mt. Humphreys, New Snow, Sunrise. The Buttermilk Range, California. October 10, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunrise light illuminates overnight snow on Mt. Humphreys and peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest above the Buttermilks

This was the morning after a day of October snowfall up and down the Sierra Nevada. The previous day we had photographed in snow almost the whole day as we traveled east over Carson Pass, then via Monitor Pass to highway 395, and continued south past Walker, Bridgeport, Lee Vining, and Mammoth (where the snow finally let up) and on to Bishop. Photographing aspen color in the snow was a special treat, since it combined the autumn ritual of aspen chasing with the clear indication that the cold season was on its way, a message delivered by snow.

That night I realized that the snow would certainly coat the peaks of the eastern Sierra the next morning, so instead of heading straight up to photograph aspens, I decided that we would instead go to a place in the sage country above Bishop from which a great section of the eastern Sierra is visible, to see if we might get dawn light on the snow-covered mountains. We arrived – of course! – before sunrise, and the jury was still out. There were clouds floating over the crest and, more importantly, there were clouds high up in the White Mountains to the east. Mornings like this have the potential to either be a complete bust if the clouds block the early light, or to bring especially beautiful conditions if the dawn light finds a way to shine through breaks in the clouds. We got our breaks, and on top of that the clouds above the crest began to break up just as the sunlight arrived. In this photograph, a fluffy cloud has been considerate enough to momentarily park its peak-shaped form above Mt. Humphreys, a bit of light hits the peaks, a band of light lower down illuminates the base of the snow-covered escarpment, and a bit of reddish light even hits the nearer and darker foreground peak.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon

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Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon - Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.
Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.

Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon. Sierra Nevada, California. April 15, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.

One of the most striking signs of spring in some portions of California is the intensely colorful blooming of the redbud plants. (Variously described as “trees” or “bushes.”) At the right time in April, the blooms are found in abundance along the bottom of the Merced River Canyon below Yosemite National Park. This year I had time for a quick one-day visit to the area – photographing the redbud plants was one of my two major goals that day, and I certainly had plenty of opportunities.

A few weeks from now and throughout the rest of the year, the redbud is not an especially remarkable plant among the other plants that grow in these areas. However, when covered almost completely by intense purple flowers, the plant stands out against the mostly green and brown background of other plants. This tree seemed to have fully blossomed, and the earliest spring leaves were just beginning to appear among the flowers. I shot this with a long lens to provide some background blur, and I worked in a shaded are of the canyon before the direct sun arrived, since I prefer to photograph this plant in softer light.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Meadow Plants, Early Snow

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Meadow Plants, Early Snow - Meadow plants bend beneath the weight of an early October snowfall, eastern Sierra Nevada, California.
Meadow Plants, Early Snow - Meadow plants bend beneath the weight of an early October snowfall, eastern Sierra Nevada, California.

Meadow Plants, Early Snow. North Lake, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. October 8, 2011. © Copyright 2011 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Meadow plants bend beneath the weight of an early October snowfall, eastern Sierra Nevada, California.

I made this photograph on a very cold early October morning high in the eastern Sierra after a series of early season snow storms had passed over the Sierra. The gravel road to North Lake had apparently just opened again on the morning I arrived, and few other people were there. I was there to photograph autumn aspen color, but the opportunity to photograph snow scenes so early in the season distracted me.

As I walked the road skirting the edge of North Lake, I passed by meadows that were completely covered by new, untouched snow. Here and there a few small plants managed to poke up from beneath the white blanket.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.