Tag Archives: fall

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Pine Needles, Fletcher Lake

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Pine Needles, Fletcher Lake

Pine Needles, Fletcher Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

During the first weekend of September 2008 I made my first late-season visit to the Sierra, heading to Fletcher Lake in the Yosemite backcountry, a place I often try to visit each year at about this time. I like to get up there as the fall season approaches, and an added bonus this time was the possibility of meeting some fellow photographers who were in the area. (More about that later.)

In the morning of my last day at Fletcher I was up early to photograph the morning light on the rocks and trees around the lake, especially those reflected in the still water at that hour. I was just about finished with that project when I spotted these needles on the shady side of a shoreline grove of trees.

keywords: pine, branch, needle, tree, fletcher, vogelsang, lake, yosemite, national park, california, usa, sierra, nevada, nature, green, fall, autumn, pattern, stock

Commentary, Locations, News

California Fall Color Season About to Start

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The autumn color season in the Sierra Nevada should start very soon. Actually, if you count – as I do – the dry grasses and the high elevation ground plants going dormant, it has already begun. But the real show is the turning of the aspens, mostly in the eastern Sierra, starting around the very end of September and likely peaking during the first week of the month. If conditions are right, it can last as long as the middle of October, but earlier is always better.

Several web sites have posted fall color guides in the past, and since timing is so critical it is a good idea to follow the as the time approaches. One site that is new to me is a US government site that reports on fall colors nationwide. Another that I’ve often followed in the past is the California Fall Color site, though it doesn’t (yet) appear to be active. In addition, I’ll summarize what I know and what I hear about Sierra fall color once the curtain begins to rise on this year’s show.

Commentary, Locations

Eastern Sierra Fall Color 2008 is Coming Soon

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Autumn Sunset, Monitor Pass

While New Englanders will scoff, Californians have their own spectacular fall color display in the eastern Sierra Nevada when the aspens and other trees turn red, orange, yellow, golden, and more around the beginning of October each year.

I’ve been “chasing the aspens” for some years now, and every year at about this time I start to look forward to visiting and photographing them – and I join in the speculation regarding the times of peak color, how the weather may affect this, where to find the best displays, and so forth.

Today’s post is just a reminder that the aspen color is now little more than a month away – I’ll post more on this topic during the next few weeks.

(Photo: Autumn Sunset, Monitor Pass. Sierra Nevada, California. October 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.)

Commentary

Cancer Doc Heals Through Photography

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I just saw a link to this story about Radiation Oncologist Dr. Bernard Lewinsky and his photography on a Southern California “ABC 7” television news program. The link goes to a short text story and a video about Dr. Lewinsky.

As soon as I saw the text link in my browser I knew that he must be the same fellow photographer I shared a bit of time with last Autumn while photographing fall colors at North Lake in the eastern Sierra. When I’m photographing and I see another photographer at work, I try to guess whether the fellow photographer will welcome the conversation or be distracted from his work. He seemed to be finishing up – and he was in a spot where I wanted to photograph… ;-) – so I wandered over and said, “hi.”

While we spoke a bit about equipment – it seems to be the universal icebreaker for photographers – the conversation soon to shifted to other things, including the beauty of the location and his work as a radiation oncologist. He told me how he works with “very sick people” and that he uses his photography to create a more peaceful and calm environment for them.

I’ve spoken with many photographers in the field, but my meeting and conversation with Dr. Lewinsky has stuck with me.

Unfortunately, I cannot find a web link to his photography, but the story says he has compiled a book of his photographs – which look quite impressive from what I can see on the video – and copies are available for sale with the proceeds to go to the American Cancer Society. For more information Dr. Lewinsky’s office can be reached at (818) 884-1683.

(The linked photo is mine, and was taken as Dr. Lewinski and I talked.)