Tag Archives: dense

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #4

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New England Woods #4
Thick green woods along a road in Southern Vermont.

New England Woods #4. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Thick green woods along a road in Southern Vermont.

I am not quite done with the New England photographs yet, not by a long shot. Stay tuned. This is another one from our August visit to the East Coast, when we joined members of our extended family for a week at a place near Wilmington in Southern Vermont. The main goal of this event was family-oriented — lots of eating, talking, sitting around — but nearby rural roads provided lots of opportunities for learning about and photographing these woods.

This is, it almost goes without saying, not at all like my familiar haunts on the West Coast. At the time of year when California is largely golden-brown, the Vermont countryside was lush and green. Remarkable, and almost unbelievably, Vermonters were talking about this year’s drought! It sure didn’t look like any drought I’ve seen before in the West! The trees and undergrowth are so dense and green that it can be hard to photograph them — so I often found myself photographing into the edge of the forest from roads and trails.

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: New England

New England Woods #3

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New England Woods #3
Tall trees and lush undergrowth in Southwestern Vermont.

New England Woods #3. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Tall trees and lush undergrowth in Southwestern Vermont.

This photograph continues the recent series (which isn’t finished just yet) of photographs documenting my “discovery” of New England woods. As I wrote earlier, I somehow managed to go this many years without visiting this lovely area. On our recent visit I mostly photographed in southwest Vermont, though I was briefly in Massachusetts with a camera, too. (We passed though portions of upstate New York… but we were too focused on getting from point A to point B to stop and make photographs.)

For a person brought up on California woods (which range from the widely-spaced oak trees at low elevation areas to the even more open forests of large trees in the mountains) the New England forests are a revelation. In some ways their moist greenness reminds me of parts of the Pacific Northwest, though the prevalence of deciduous trees sets them apart. Inside the woods, at least from what I saw, things are dense and quiet and overgrown with lush vegetation. I’m not yet quite sure how to photograph within these forests — though I think I can figure it out — and most of the recent photographs I’ll share are looking into the forest from its edge.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #2

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New England Woods #2
Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

New England Woods #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

We spent most of the last two weeks of August on the East Coast of the United States, first in New York City and then with the extended family at a lodge in southwestern Vermont. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my East Coast experience has been almost entirely limited to Florida and New York — plus, of course, the inevitable trips between Manhattan and the Newark-Liberty Airport. Friends have told me that I must see New England, especially in autumn, and I’ve always thought it sounded interesting… but I had just never made it there before. Part of this, of course, is due to my landscape “regionalism,” otherwise known as my love of the lands of the America West.

I can’t say that I’ve quite “gotten” the New England landscape after one week spent there, but I most certainly can say that I’m intrigued and want to go back. For this near-native Californian, whose summer “normal” is golden-brown dryness, the lush and dense greenery of Vermont was a revelation. I understand they are having a drought there, but if that is what qualifies for drought in New England, count me in. (I know that this is a serious matter, but you get my drift, right?) I made this photograph on a walk up a gravel road from the lodge where we spent the week.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Tall Trees

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Tall Trees
A stand of tall trees in Yosemite Valley.

Tall Trees. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A stand of tall trees in Yosemite Valley.

This is not what a Sierra Nevada forest looks like during most of the year. It is easy to miss that fact, since it may be the most appealing time and when we are most likely to visit, when there is still moisture and the undergrowth is thick and green. But the reality is that the forest is dormant or nearly so for many months, and that between the spring thaw and autumn much of the Sierra is quite dry… and becoming drier every year recently.

This little bit of Yosemite Valley forest has long fascinated me, which might see odd given that there are other more compelling views nearby. The location is near a lovely meadow full of flowers and grasses in the spring, and oak trees all year long. From that meadow there are impressive views of towers and cliff faces, including nearby El Capitan.

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.