Tag Archives: creek

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

Autumn Forest and Creek

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Autumn Forest and Creek
A creek flows beneath autumn trees in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Autumn Forest and Creek. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A creek flows beneath autumn trees in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

This is a photograph of another branch of the creek that was featured in a recent photograph. The creek in the previous photograph flowed under a bridge to join the creek seen here. Both flowed down gentle rocky sloped though a quiet hardwood forest that was perhaps just past the prime color. On a day when crowds were visiting the more famous sites in this mountain range, it was pleasant to stop here in the still quiet for a while.

People from the Northeast who have me advice on this trip recommended several thing. Some had to do with timing, some with the typical transitions of the color. Others were about locations — and as a first-time visitor to this area I needed that advice. In addition to pointing out some of the must-see locations, almost everyone also said to get off the main roads and poke around some of the backroads, especially the smaller gravel routes. This was one of those, a road that we followed on a whim — and we ended up off the beaten path in places that are not as frequently visited.

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: New England

White Mountains Creek, Autumn

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White Mountains Creek, Autumn
“White Mountains Creek, Autumn” — Autumn trees along a boulder-strewn White Mountains creek littered with fallen leaves.

This photograph exists because we eventually thought to move beyond the lovely but iconic area we first photographed to explore a bit. We headed away from where we were staying, driving north and east, heading toward some locations that seemed interesting for little more than their names on a map. As we drove along one two-lane highway, for no reason that I can now recall I turned off onto a smaller road that took us through some lovely flatlands. A mile or two up that road a gravel road branched off — it had an intriguing name so I took it. It entered thick forest and began to rise, often following small creeks. We stopped where the roadway crossed one of them, got the cameras out, and began photographing this lovely and lonely area.

I was encouraged not only because this turned out to be a nice locations but also because it marked a transition from taking in the icons (often a great way to begin) to exploring, poking around, and discovering subtle little treasures that one usually won’t find on the main roads. Taking this detour also confirmed some advice I had been given by photographers with more experience in this region: explore those little side roads!

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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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

Autumn Stream

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Autumn Stream
“Autumn Stream” — A stream flows past fall colors in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

This month’s visit to New Hampshire and Vermont to photograph autumn color reminded me of some things about photography in unfamiliar places. I usually photograph where I have long-developed place knowledge or at least experience with very similar subjects. That wasn’t the case in New England. We started out by visiting “icons” — which isn’t a bad strategy at the very beginning. They are “icons for a reason,” and they let me start to figure out the personality of a new place. But on several occasions I was also reminded of the value to pushing beyond those boundaries — just poking around, keeping my eyes open to possibilities, looking in the opposite direction from the obvious thing, and sometimes just wandering a little bit.

The “wandering” took various forms on this trip. Sometimes it involved driving long distances or turning off the highway to head up a side road. In the case of this photograph, we had pulled out at a “picnic area” for a moment, and I wondered what was beyond the trees surrounding the parking lot. I could tell there was color in that direction and it seemed like there might be a creek. So off we went to find this lovely little stream flowing through the forest, and we ended up photographing there for a half hour or more.

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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

Cascade

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Cascade
Water falls across a fractured rock face after August rain, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Cascade. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Water falls across a fractured rock face after August rain, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

We were here in August, a time when a cascade or waterfall like this one in the Sierra Nevada high country would typically be more of a trickle than a torrent. But a torrential rain storm had raised the creek levels just before we arrived, and the flow was quite impressive. Fortunately, by the time we arrived, the silt that had turned the water a muddy brown had almost dissipated.

We were not actually aware of this fall when we headed this direction in the late afternoon. Our actual goal was the timberline country further up the route. But shortly after we turned and began following the creek that led that direction we came to the cascade, which was positioned right next to our route. Packs immediately came off, cameras came out, tripods were set up, and we were pleasantly distracted by the photographic potential of this feature.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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