Tag Archives: drift

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

Winter Oak and Fog

April 2, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter fog drifts around a dormant oak tree, Yosemite Valley

This appeared to be the one Valley meadow with fog in it on this early winter morning. Up early, we had taken a look at the conditions and figured that meadow fog might not be on the morning agenda, but on a hunch we decided to do a loop past several Yosemite Valley meadows anyway—and here at Stoneman Meadow we found ground fog gently moving back and forth across the clearing.

It was early enough and cold enough that few other people were out, so the scene was very quite and peaceful. The fog remained within the confines of the meadow, only penetrating a short distance into the surrounding forests when it drifted a bit. At first it seemed like we had arrived just in time and that the fog was going to dissipate quickly, so I set up quickly and started photographing with the expectation that I would not have long to work. But very quickly the fog began to thicken until it was perhaps 20 feet deep, and soon it obscured the views across the meadow to forest trees. As this fog, too, began to thin I waited for it to line up behind this solitary barren tree.

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

Dense Forest, Clearing Fog

March 28, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The last traces of morning fog drift among forest trees of Yosemite Valley

Back at the beginning of March we were in Yosemite Valley to attend the opening reception of the Yosemite Renaissance XXIX exhibit at the Visitor Center Gallery. (This juried show includes work in a variety of media—including photography—and continues on until May 11.) We decided to take advantage of this visit to spend three days in the Valley and do some photography.

At this time of year the fog that often collects in the Valley’s meadows can provide all sorts of interesting photographic possibilities. With that possibility in mind we went out early in the morning to look around. At first it did not look too promising. The weather was relatively warm and the air seemed quite clear. On a hunch I thought we’d go look at Stoneman Meadow, and we found that it was filled with a shallow layer of fog. (I later heard that it may have been the only foggy location on this day.) The fog moved across the meadow and seemed to be thinning, but they surprised me by becoming a lot thicker and obscuring the views of the surrounding trees. This fog gradually drifted into the nearby forest as it dissipated, and this photograph includes the very last misty remnants of this fog.

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

Forest, Fog

March 16, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Fog drifts among the trees of a Yosemite Valley forest on a winter morning

A winter morning is almost always a good time to seek out fog in the meadows of Yosemite Valley, but things did not look too promising on this particular morning. We were up very early—well before dawn—and out and about. Since we had photographed from a higher spot with expansive views the previous morning, today it seemed like a good idea to look for more intimate scenes, so we began to check out a few of the centrally located meadows where the fog often forms. However, first looks revealed perfectly clear air. We wandered a bit more and eventually ended up near Curry Village where there was one fog-filled meadow. As far as we could tell, Stoneman Meadow was the only place in the Valley with the conditions we were looking for.

In much the same way that valley-filling fog can move back and forth, thicken and thin, rise and fall, the fog in this meadow was constantly changing. At first the rapid changes made it seem that the fog might be dissipating, so I began shooting fairly quickly, hoping to get something before it was gone. But soon there was a surprising resurgence of the fog, which drifted across the meadow into surrounding trees, rose higher, and hid the view. As it again began to thin I turned my attention to a bit of nearby dense forest and photographed the trees, late and small, as the fog gradually faded away.

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

Forest and Valley Fog

March 14, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Thick winter fog drifts among Yosemite Valley trees

Yes. Another foggy photograph. And perhaps not the last from this visit to Yosemite Valley at the beginning of March, though perhaps the final one from this particular vantage point. No guarantees, though. ;-)

At the risk of repetition, this fog drifting among the forest trees on the floor of Yosemite Valley and occasionally sloshing back and forth and rising up in front of cliffs, waterfalls, and domes was in continuous motion. While the big scene changed more slowly, the smaller vignettes within it changed very quickly. At times I would spot a potentially interesting bit of foggy landscape, swing my camera in that direction and frame up a composition… only to find that it had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. While some landscape photographs may be carefully and slowly and thoughtfully composed, this moody subject seems to require a lot of quick, instinctive shooting. Here I quickly rotated the camera to a vertical position so that I could include near and far trees, adjusted the focal length to keep an interesting combination of trees and fog in the frame… and keep some other extraneous elements out. I often wonder how people see an image of a scene at which I was present, and how different their impressions and interpretations might be. Mine were related to the dampness in the air, the muted light, the overall quite and stillness of the scene, and the nearby presence of several friends who were also shooting here on this morning.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: drift

Winter Oak and Fog

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Dense Forest, Clearing Fog

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Forest, Fog

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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.

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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.