Tag Archives: edge

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Oak Among The Conifers

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Oak Among The Conifers
“Oak Among The Conifers” — A solitary autumn black oak tree at the edge of a grove of conifers.

Every so often I think about how photographers captured images of fall “color” in the era of black and white photography, and I have to try my hand at it once again. Obviously the usual approach — finding some brilliant color and then emphasizing it in the photograph — won’t work here. Instead, contrast with darker surroundings could be one way to evoke the brilliance of autumn foliage.

Although this small black oak appears alone in the photograph, it has other oak neighbors nearby. What sets it apart apart is that it grows against a backdrop of a very dark and thick conifer forest. I’ve watched this tree for years, and the contrast can be quite compelling in the fall.

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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


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

The Shadow’s Edge

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The Shadow's Edge
“The Shadow’s Edge” — The shadow from Yosemite Valley cliffs moves across autumn oak trees.

I photograph in this meadow during nearly every visit to Yosemite Valley. The big oak trees are the stars for the most part — though it is hard to ignore the impressive mass of El Capitan rising behind you. The autumn foliage on these trees turns golden-brown before falling, and it can glow luminously when backlit.

The light is key to photographing here. Because this part of the valley is narrow and because tall cliffs rise on either side, the amount of direct sunlight is limited. Shadows traverse this meadow in the morning and the afternoon, and there’s interesting lighting along the margins of the shadows. Here you can see the line of shadow along the right side of the frame. Moments after I made the photograph the shadows fully enveloped these trees.

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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


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Morning, Forest at Meadow’s Edge

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Morning, Forest at Meadow's Edge
“Morning, Forest at Meadow’s Edge” — Three generations of lodgepole pine forest at the edge of a Sierra Nevada meadow.

From the time I first visited Tuolumne Meadows (decades ago, as a child) I remember hearing that the meadows were being gradually overtaken by the forests. (I later learned that the story is not quite that simple.) This stuck with me, and I’ve always been intrigued by the boundaries between meadow and forest. This photograph shows three age groupings of pines next to this meadow — the three big and old trees left of center, a dense stand of younger tall trees at the right, and a thick line of “baby trees” extending from the left edge beyond the three big trees.

This was a special morning at Tuolumne. It was the first day of July, in a year when the campground would not open for another month. Park entrance restrictions further limited the number of visitors. I camped just outside the park and was able to enter before dawn. I had the landscape almost entirely to myself as the sun rose and light fog cleared from the meadow.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Afternoon Light

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Afternoon Light
“Afternoon Light” — Storms build as late afternoon light shines on a Sierra ridge, across the water from a rocky bluff and a patch of snow.

In the backcountry I usually spend the first and last few hours of the day photographing. In the morning I’m up before sunrise and not back in camp for hours. I head out again hours before sunset and usually keep at it until it is nearly dark. I made this photograph near the start of one of those afternoon sessions, as shadows lengthened and clouds from nearby storms added drama to the landscape.

The parallel forms of the very close and very distant ridges caught my attention, along with the beautiful green color of the inclined meadow on the other side of the lake. Technically this was a fairly difficult exposure, due to the difference between the brilliant white of sunlit clouds and the deep shadows in the left foreground exceeded that capabilities of my (or just about any) camera.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.