Tag Archives: desert

Aspens and Distant Mountains

Aspens and Distant Mountains
“Aspens and Distant Mountains” — Groves of autumn aspens on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada.

The late-day light on autumn aspens is a fleeting thing, especially here along the east slope of the Sierra Nevada where peaks tower to the west. Over the years I have become familiar with the rhythms of this particular spot. I know that the best light happens during the half hour (or less) before the sun drops behind those peaks. So I arrive a bit early, pack a long lens, and prepare for a half hour or so of intense photography.

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Evening Clouds, Mono Lake

Evening Clouds, Mono Lake
“Evening Clouds, Mono Lake” — Evening clouds from the Sierra Nevada drift over Mono Lake.

Late in the afternoon I was photographing autumn aspen trees in a deep valley along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada. Not long after I arrived there developing clouds began to block the light that best shows the intense colors of the trees. I continued working and found ways to photograph effectively in the soft light, but I was a bit disappointed by the cloud cover. And then it occurred to me that the cloud line would end as they dissipated out over Mono Lake.

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Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds

Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds
“Lake, Tufa, and Morning Clouds” — Mono Lake tufa towers silhouetted against morning sky and distant mountains.

With this post, I am doing something unusual for me — I’m sharing monochrome and color versions of the same photograph. By that I mean literally the same file, though interpreted differently. (The monochrome version was posted here recently.) Usually I settle on either color or monochrome, but in this case I feel like both have something (different) to offer.

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Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains

Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains
. “Lake, Towers, Distant Mountains” — Mono Lake tufa towers silhouetted against distant desert mountains in morning light.

I arrived here well before sunrise, thinking that clouds overhead and clear sky on the eastern horizon might produce a colorful sunrise. It did! So I made monochrome photographs! OK, I do have some color photographs of the early morning color, too, but I really did come back with as many monochrome photographs as color photos. Maybe MONO Lake calls for MONOchrome images?

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