Tag Archives: face

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

Horsetail Fall, Sunset (#3)

February 24, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Photograph of Horsetail Fall – the “natural firefall” – along the eastern end of the face of El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California.

I made this photograph from “the other” vantage point for viewing the winter Horsetail Fall light show. I’ve shot this subject a few times in the past, but always from the general area of the picnic area at base of the east end of El Capitan. Since I thought the light might be good on this evening I decided to try the location along Southside Drive at a point between the crossover road near El Capitan and the start of the Four Mile Trail where many people photograph this scene. Yeah, it is an icon. What can I say? (Well, I can say that my favorite photograph from this particular trip to the Valley is actually a black and white image of a couple branches of a dormant fern plant – but that’s a different photo and a different story.)

This location – I’ll call it the “Merced River location” – is popular among Horsetail Fall photographers for several reason. For one it is very accessible. To be blunt, you can find a shot within a few seconds walk from your car! (Unless you arrive late and all the parking is gone, a distinct possibility in such a popular spot, especially if you go on a weekend when the sunset light hits the fall.) It also provides a different sort of view of the fall. While the view from right beneath El Capitan tends to provide a slightly wider and closer view of the upper fall, this one provides a clear view of a greater portion of the fall along with the little valley above the fall. And because it is a bit further east, you are looking at the fall more from the side. This means that when things work out just right the brilliantly lit fall becomes a very thin stream against the much darker background rock.

The light on this evening was perhaps not quite “classic” Horsetail light. There was some nice color, but the light faded before it became brilliantly colorful. It seemed like perhaps the sun (which is itself not visible to photographers from here) might have passed behind some distant clouds in the west just before reaching the horizon. The development of the brilliant sunset color was somewhat muted when this happened.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 360mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/50 second

keywords: yosemite, national, park, valley, california, usa, north america, nature, winter, horsetail, fall, waterfall, water, gold, molten, light, sunset, dusk, glow, fire, firefall, cliff, el, capitan, cap, face, crack, water, spray, mist, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, february, stock

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

Sunset Light, Lower Face of Fletcher Peak

December 8, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sunset light on the lower face of Fletcher Peak near the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Yosemite National Park, California.

Fletcher Lake, the location of the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, is one of “my places” in the Yosemite Sierra – I visit very year, often more than once, and I make a tradition of visiting during the late season after Labor Day Weekend. This year I did a loop trip up Lyell Canyon, then up the Ireland Lake Trail past Evelyn Lake to get there. On the first day I started very late and barely made camp as night fell, cooking after dark an the junction of the John Muir Trail and the Ireland Lake Trail in Lyell Canyon. I slept in the next morning, and eventually headed up the Ireland Lake trail to camp at Evelyn Lake that night. The next morning I headed over to Fletcher Lake, where I spent the next couple night, giving myself plenty of time to photograph this familiar area.

On the evening when I arrived I headed out in the late afternoon to photograph areas around the meadow below Fletcher Lake, eventually working my way over to Fletcher Lake as the sun dropped toward the horizon. This photograph was made not long before sunset as the warm late-day sun illuminated some talus, snow, and granite near the base of Fletcher Peak.

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.

keywords: vogelsang, high, sierra, nevada, camp, mountain, range, fletcher, lake, peak, snow, cliff, rock, face, talus, scree, gravel, detail, crack, fracture, plant, flora, vegetation, sunset, evening, light, warm, texture, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, backpack, hike, camp, wilderness, stock

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

Merced Canyon and Sierra Crest, Morning

November 30, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

View of Merced River Canyon and the Sierra Crest from Glacier Point in early morning fall light.

I like to visit Glacier Point at dawn at least once each autumn, and the later in the season the better. This year I got up early on the second morning of my Yosemite Valley fall color shoot and drove up there, arriving as the first pre-dawn light began to arrive. Dawn at Glacier Point, especially at this less-busy time of year is special. For one thing, I’m often nearly alone there rather than being part of the typical sunset crowd.

This photograph was made after the sun had risen above the peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest and had begun to backlight the layers of ridges stretching back along the Merced River drainage towards the highest peaks beyond.

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.

keywords: yosemite, national, park, valley, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, autumn, fall, season, scenic, travel, nature, landscape, california, merced, river, peak, canyon, rock, cliff, face, ridge, crest, morning, light, forest, trees, rugged, glacier, point, overlook, view, snow, field, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Backlit Forest and Shaded Cliff

November 29, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Backlit forest and shaded cliff face in Yosemite Valley, California.

This is another midday photograph from Yosemite Valley, something that seems to be a bit more possible in the autumn and winter seasons when the sun never gets too high in the sky, and it is possible to find shadowed sections of the surrounding cliffs as background to the interesting lighting on the trees. Here a few trees with autumn colors are framed by backlit and almost perfectly “Christmas tree shaped” trees and backed by a dark and shaded portion of the wall along the south side of the Valley.

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.

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