Tag Archives: east

Aspen Leaves in Transition – Near Conway Summit

Aspen Leaves in Transition - Near Conway Summit
Aspen Leaves in Transition – Near Conway Summit

Aspen Leaves in Transition – Near Conway Summit. Sierra Nevada, California. September 27, 2009. © Copyright 2009 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Aspen leaves in transition from green to fall hues in the shade of a grove above Conway Summit, Sierra Nevada, California.

This is another of my close-up aspen detail photographs from my one-hour or so shoot in the eastern Sierra near Conway Summit on the last Sunday of September. I took a quick detour to this part of the “east side” after completing a short photographic backpack trip to Cathedral Lakes that weekend.

I’ve photographed this grove before, so I stop every season and see what I can find. This time I think I arrived a few days earlier than usual in the color transition. There were still a lot more leaves on trees in the grove than I’ve seen in the past and a nearby grove was still completely green. (This grove is among the first you encounter as you drive up the road from Highway 395/Conway Summit toward Virginia Lake, right by a dirt road turnoff on the left side.)

As I walked into the lower edge of the grove, I discovered that among leaves that were for the most part either green or yellow, there were a few here that had a wider range of colors – some residual green, yellow, gold, orange, and even verging on red. So, in addition to shooting the larger view of the grove, I decided to use a long lens and work on a few close shots of the leaves that most caught my attention.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Morning, South Beach Harbor, Clearing Fog

South Beach Harbor, Clearing Morning Fog

Morning, South Beach Harbor, Clearing Fog. San Francisco, California. September 16, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Moored boats float in calm water under morning high fog on San Francisco Bay at South Beach Harbor.

The South Beach Harbor is a favorite subject of mine when I take the train to San Francisco to do photography on foot. I often walk from the Caltrain station past AT&T Park towards the Embarcadero, which takes me right to this spot. If the combination of still water, fog, and/or early morning light is right I usually stop and shoot here a bit before moving on.

On this morning the water was just about as smooth as I’ve ever seen on this part of the San Francisco Bay. Although there was fog, it ws the higher variety that still permits long views across the water, and it was already clearing when I arrived.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: san francisco, california, usa, travel, tourist, scenic, city, urban, downtown, fog, high, clouds, reflection, sky, morning, boat, sail, yacht, moor, dock, south, beach, harbor, oakland, east, bay, waterfront, mast, rigging, hull, travel, scenic, embarcadero, smooth, still, calm, stock, maritime, break, water

Oak Tree, Morning Light (monochrome)

Oak Tree, Morning Light

Oak Tree, Morning Light. (Monochrome) Mission Peak. July 16,2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An oak tree along the trail to the top of Mission Peak, Fremont, California.

This photo has been in the queue for longer than I want to admit – all I’ll say is that it is more than a year! This spreading oak is found along a somewhat less-traveled section of trail near Mission Peak in the eastern SF Bay Area, and was photographed in early morning light.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: oak, tree, trunk, branch, leaf, canopy, leaves, grass, morning, light, shade, shadow, summer, trail, mission, peak, east, bay, park, trail, hike, nature, rock, boulder, thick, growth, vegetation, flora, san francisco, area, california, usa, black and white, stock, landscape

Eastern Sierra Fall Color 2008 is Coming Soon

Autumn Sunset, Monitor Pass

While New Englanders will scoff, Californians have their own spectacular fall color display in the eastern Sierra Nevada when the aspens and other trees turn red, orange, yellow, golden, and more around the beginning of October each year.

I’ve been “chasing the aspens” for some years now, and every year at about this time I start to look forward to visiting and photographing them – and I join in the speculation regarding the times of peak color, how the weather may affect this, where to find the best displays, and so forth.

Today’s post is just a reminder that the aspen color is now little more than a month away – I’ll post more on this topic during the next few weeks.

(Photo: Autumn Sunset, Monitor Pass. Sierra Nevada, California. October 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.)