We’re back from the Sierra Nevada, and I have some new photographs to share. I was actually on the east side of the range twice over the past couple of weeks, mostly chasing autumn aspen color but also photographing other seasonal subjects. October is probably my favorite time in the range, and there was a lot to see, including this impressive sunrise cloud show along the crest near Bishop.
Continue reading Sierra Crest Clouds
This grove of leaning and twisted trees lines the upper edge of a steep, rocky Point Lobos cliff that drops straight to a small bay. You can see the beginning of the slope in the photograph, but if you walked past the trees in this scene you would seen be at the precipice. I made the photograph in one of my favorite light conditions. It had been foggy — the thick, gray kind of fog — but now it was thinning and opening up to let in soft, filtered sunlight. The fog still partially obscures the more distant trees on the far side of the little bay.
Continue reading Monterey Cypress Forest
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one thing that impresses about the mountains of Scotland is that they have the appearance alpine terrain in my California High Sierra. There are few or no trees, the only vegetation is the sort that lies under your feet if you walk through it. The peaks are sharp and rugged and rocky. The entire landscape — mountains, streams, valleys — is laid bare. In the Sierra I must go well above 10,000′ to see this. In Scotland it begins barely above sea level.
Continue reading Mountains, Clouds, and Shadows
Sometimes there are photographs in (almost) your own backyard. As much as anyone else, I enjoy traveling to beautiful places to make photographs. But I can’t go to such places all the time, so it is fortunate that there are plenty of interesting things to see close by. In my area that might include the redwoods or the Pacific Ocean… or just a nearby rural area at the right time of year.
I made this photograph along a road that is far from famous. (Perhaps the only people who would know about it are those who pass by on their way to a nearby local park with hiking trails). But around here, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are lots of little spots where trees grow thickly and where fall colors continue right on into December.
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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
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