Tag Archives: ediza

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trees in Morning Light

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Trees in Morning Light
Trees in monring light, backed by rocky slopes, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Trees in Morning Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Trees in morning light, backed by rocky slopes, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Have I mentioned that I like backlight and that I especially like trees in morning backlight? Well, yes, I think I have. Even more, I like this subject when the background is filled by distant, rocky mountain slopes in shadow. This little group of trees was nestled against a rocky promontory not far from our camp.

After nearly two days of rain, this was the first morning when we had sun. All of us were more than ready for this development, and soon everyone was out and about, enjoying the dry weather and warm light. (We also continued to be impressed by the unusually high creek levels and the nearby lake that was now completely full of sediment washed down from the peaks.)

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Mountains and Cascade, Dawn

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Mountains and Cascade, Dawn
A cascade descends from the high country as dawn light illuminates peaks.

Mountains and Cascade, Dawn. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A cascade descends from the high country as dawn light illuminates peaks.

One benefit of surviving the deluge we experienced on the first days of our recent backcountry photography trip was that the streams came back to life… and then some. In this drought-year August we were not expecting to see a lot of water, but as the near-flood receded the streams were flowing as if it were still early summer. There was water everywhere — tarns were full, small streams came back to life in meadows, and rocky cascades were full of water.

As I headed into one lovely subalpine meadow I had to cross several of these streams, something that presented a bit more of an adventure than I might have seen a few days earlier. As I pondered this crossing I noted that first morning light on the peaks far above, and I paused to photograph the rapidly descending water that I was about to cross.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Clearing Storm, Evening

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Clearing Storm, Evening
The sky lights up with sunset color as a Sierra Nevada summer storm clears.

Clearing Storm, Evening. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The sky lights up with sunset color as a Sierra Nevada summer storm clears.

Our backcountry stay began with the absolute worst summer Sierra storm I can remember. Within seconds of getting our tent up the skies let loose with an hours-long barrage of extremely heavy rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and wind. Everything around us flooded, and we had a stream flowing under the tent. There was nothing to do but shelter in the tent and try to stay dry and warm. We managed to escape briefly to eat a quick dinner, but the rain continued. It paused later that night… and then resumed very early in the pre-dawn hours and continued through most of the next day, albeit not as heavily.

Finally, late on day two, the storm broke. We began to see some thinning in the clouds to the west, and we began to hope for some interesting sunset light. Out we went, with each of us making guesses as to when and where the light might appear. At first I photographed the fog that was drifting back and forth among the surrounding peak, and then I began to turn my attention to the west, where I hoped to get some sunset color. Not much was happening there… and then I looked behind me to see see this scene developing!

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Rock Garden

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Rock Garden
Hardy plants grow in a crack at the base of a rocky Sierra Nevada face.

Rock Garden. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Hardy plants grow in a crack at the base of a rocky Sierra Nevada face.

A group of us recently spent a week base-camped at a Sierra Nevada backcountry location, photographing extensively all around our location. It was quite a week — great time with friends, hikes up into beautiful alpine terrain, wild weather, brilliant sunsets, and lots of beautiful subjects to photograph. The spectacular nature of the surrounding terrain, with broad valleys and high rocky peaks, suggested photographs of the monumental landscape. However, there were plenty of more intimate subjects, too.

At some point on almost any excursion like this one I spend time photographing small things, and near the beginning of this trip I spotted some fascinating rocks nearby and made a mental note to devote at least an evening to photographing them. These rocks were quite colorful, with combinations of warm and cool tones. Opportunistic plants grew along the base of the rocks and extended up fractures in the rock.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.