Tag Archives: evening

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

Autumn Light, Yosemite High Country

September 26, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late season evening light on a trees and a small meadow near Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

After hiking up from Lower Young Lake and arriving at the upper lake well before the good light I wandered off along the southwest shoreline of Upper Young Lake to scope out photographic subjects for the “good light” period that was going to start very soon. First I walked along the shoreline where I found several prospective shots of a rock outcropping with trees at the end of a peninsula that curves into the lake. I kept walking along the shoreline and found a few more interesting formations with the backdrop of the more distant hillside leading to the ridge that runs along the edge of the basin. Eventually I worked my way a bit beyond the lake to a point where small, grassy gullies began to drop toward the steeper terrain leading to the next lake down the valley, and here I found some interesting backlit trees and boulders, again with the hazy image of the more distance hillside beyond.

This photograph was made pointing almost directly toward the lowering sun – it is actually just a bit to the right and behind some rocks and trees that are out of the frame. Because it was so close to the end of the day – and because of the late time of the season – the light soon became very saturated and warm colored. To me this scene says “end of summer” in the high country – while it is still comfortable and the winters snowfall is still weeks in the future, there is a time in September when the days shorter, the grasses turn golden brown, the aspen color is only weeks away, and most of the tourists have left when the changing of the seasons can no longer be denied.

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

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

10th Avenue Between 19th and 20th Streets, Chelsea

September 23, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A street scene on 10th Avenue between 19th and 20th streets in Chelsea, photographed in evening light from the High Line Park.

A rather plain street scene, but uncharacteristically empty of cars and pedestrians, as seen from the High Line Elevated Park in Chelsea. Shot on the evening of our first full day in New York in mid-August, just after sunset as a few clouds passed over Manhattan.

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

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

Upper Young Lake, Peninsula with Trees

September 21, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sunset light illuminates trees on a rocky peninsula, reflected in the surface of alpine Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

This is one more and perhaps the last in the sequence of photographs made on a mid-September evening at Upper Young Lake. I mentioned in a previous post that I had walked up here from my campsite to photograph in the beautiful evening light, and after wandering about and making a few other photographs I finally decided to focus my efforts on this scene featuring tree-covered rocks at the end of a small, curving peninsula. I began shooting just as the “golden hour” time began, and continued until the light was quite dim… and I had to start heading back down what passes for a trail to my camp at a lower lake. This photograph was made at a point at which the light had really begun to warm up as the sun dropped toward the horizon, but before the very last (and very red) light.

A comment on why I have posted several photographs (four by now?) of more or less this same scene rather than selecting “the best” one… I’ve previously written about my reasons for posting daily photographs at the blog, which include practice and encouraging me to regularly take photographs all the way through at least an initial post-processing workflow. The latter gives me a better opportunity to get to know the different images, both as I work on them and I I consider them after posting. So, frankly, I don’t necessarily have a clear favorite at this point.

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

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

Last Light on Trees, Upper Young Lake

September 20, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

The last sunset light strikes trees growing on a boulders at the end of a peninsula at Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

After arriving at Upper Young Lake with the intention of photographing a small, lone shoreline tree… I promptly wandered off and photographed a number of other subjects instead. (I mentioned elsewhere that I ran into John Sexton and Anne Larsen also photographing here, and John pointed out correctly that the tree would end up shaded at the time of best light. Need to go back in August for that one…) First I did a bit of reconnoitering around the west side of the lake, wandering down to and beyond the outlet stream, and thinking about how to photograph this rocky prominence at the end of a small curving peninsula. Then I photographed a bit near the drop-off from the upper lake towards the middle lake. After that I walked back toward the outlet stream again, noted the predicted shadow on the tree, and decided to focus my attention on this peninsula/rocky/tree subject, which I stuck with until the light faded.

When I began photographing this subject the low angle evening sun was casting its warm light on the rocks, trees, water, and even parts of the distance rocky slopes. As the sun dropped various areas began to fall into shadow and the light became warmer and warmer. I made this photograph just before the very last direct light left these trees.

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

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