Tag Archives: fall

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Grove, North Lake Road

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Aspen Grove, North Lake Road

Aspen Grove, North Lake Road. Sierra Nevada, California. October 3, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brilliant fall colors come to an aspen grove along the road to North Lake with Sierra Nevada crest peaks in the distance.

I have long been attracted to this grove that grows in a bend on the road to North Lake just before a section of road that switchbacks and climbs steeply. I often photograph in and around this grove, and several other times I’ve stopped along the road above it to try to photograph it with the high peaks above Sabrina Basin in the background.

On this visit in early October 2009 I found that the grove had turned to gold and yellow, so I decided to stop on my way up to North Lake (where I photographed only briefly on this day). The challenge was that the grove is in a low area that doesn’t get the sun until later in the morning, while the peaks beyond were in almost full sunlight and even had a bit of snow on them – quite an exposure challenge! Fortunately some clouds – and a bit of careful post-processing – came the rescue. The cloud shadow fell across the rocky slopes behind the trees, providing a background that set off their color. At about the same time the most direct sun on the peaks was also interrupted by some clouds, so the only tricky spot was the left face of the peak near the side of the frame.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Owens Valley, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Clearing Autumn Snow Storm – Eastern Sierra Near Mount Tom

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Clearing Autumn Snow Storm - Eastern Sierra Near Mount Tom

Clearing Autumn Snow Storm – Eastern Sierra Near Mount Tom. Sierra Nevada, California. October 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn snow flurries surround the peaks of the eastern Sierra near Mount Tom and Round Valley as an early fall storm clears.

As I began my return drive from my early-October “aspen hunting” expedition into the area above Bishop, California in the eastern Sierra Nevada a windy storm that had dropped several inches of snow earlier that day was beginning to clear. Rather than taking highway 395 north toward Sherwin Summit I decided to follow the older road up from Round Valley. As I neared the top of this road and looked back I saw this view of lingering snow flurries over nearby peaks and, in the distance, Mount Tom.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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keywords: autumn, fall, season, snow, fall, storm, flurry, clouds, surround, sky, dramatic, above, rock, tree, high, desert, round, valley, bishop, sherwin, pass, road, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, eastern, escarpment, mount, tom ridge, peak, landscape, black and white, monochrome, owens, valley, nature, travel, scenic, stock

Equipment

New Instant Rebates on Canon Lenses

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A number of Canon lenses are currently eligible for a rebate (“instant savings”). Here is an updated list that includes the rebate amounts and links to the lenses at B&H Photo/Video. Given the recent increases in Canon lens list prices, this may be a good opportunity to save some money on that lens you have been waiting to purchase.

(Note: Some of these links may go to pages that also include items not eligible for the “instant savings” and it is possible that the links may change – check the pages you arrive at via these links to verify that they are the right ones before you buy!)

Highlights from this list?

  • Obviously, all four of the excellent EF 70-200mm lenses are on many photographers’ “must have” lists – and all of them are included in this program.
  • The 24-70 f/2.8 is a “core lens” for many full-frame shooters. (I shoot the 24-105, but that is a matter of personal preference, not an indication that one is better than the other.)
  • Both of the ultra-wide (on full frame, or just “wide” on cropped sensor) L  lenses are on sale. The 17-40 is a wonderful lens for stopped down landscape and similar shooting on full frame bodies, and the 16-35 is a great choice on full frame if your main need is for shooting hand held in very low light.
  • The 85mm f/1.2 L is certainly a fine lens, and for the very small number of people who actually need it this is a good savings. (Frankly, the vast majority of 85mm prime users will be at least as well served by the much less expensive non-L f/1.8 edition.)
  • For cropped sensor camera shooters looking for (what I regard as) the “best” lens for high quality general use, the EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 IS may be ideal. For most cropped sensor camera shooters – even the most “serious” – I think it is a better choice that either the 17-40 or 16-35 L lenses.
  • The EFS 10-22 is pretty much the only Canon option for those who want ultra-wide angle coverage on cropped sensor bodies, and many people (especially landscape shooters) rely on this lens.

(If you find this information and other resources posted at this site to be useful, please consider purchasing through these B&H Photo/Video links in the post. You’ll get the same price and your purchase will help support the operation of this site. Thanks!)

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Red and Green Aspen Leaves

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Red and Green Aspen Leaves

Red and Green Aspen Leaves. Sierra Nevada, California. October 3, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Red and green aspen leaves in the Sierra Nevada near South Lake.

I spotted a grove of small aspen trees with very colorful leaves as I was driving down from South Lake and just as the light was just about too dark to continue shooting – especially since the wind was rising and by this time blowing like crazy! It can be tricky to shoot aspen leaves close up even in a slight breeze, but shooting them in fading light when the wind is rising to near gale force is darn close to impossible!

While many of the trees in this grove were headed more in the yellow direction, I found a few that seemed to be going almost straight from green to red.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gdanmitchell
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