Tag Archives: fall

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #7

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New England Woods #7
The autumn color explosion begins in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

New England Woods #7. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The autumn color explosion begins in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Every year at about this time I head to the east side of the Sierra Nevada to photograph fall color, which mostly means aspens. This year’s trip to the “east side,” however, was to the east side of the United States. That’ right, Patty and I finally made it to New England for its famous fall color season. (Don’t worry, I’m still hoping to squeeze in a quick visit to Sierra fall color before long.) Friends have told me for years that I had to see east coast fall color, and an August visit to Vermont’s beautiful forests intrigued me even more. Then I did a B&H podcast (“Fall Foliage East and West with Jerry Monkman and G Dan Mitchell“) and listened to my fellow interviewee, Jerry Monkman, talk about photographing there. After all of that, I guess it was pretty much fated that we would go this year!

I’ll have a lot more to say about New England fall color, the specifics of our visit, and how the East and West Coast experiences compare later on — there’s too much to write in a single post! I made this photograph near the start of the visit, perhaps a day or two before this year’s peak color in this area of the White Mountains. The color variations are, as I already understood, much greater in New England than in the Sierra, and the hardwood forests seem to all change nearly simultaneously. This photograph, like many of my favorites from this trip, was made in soft light and cloudy conditions, which provide some of the most beautiful light for this subject.

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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California Fall Color, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Sierra Nevada Fall Color

2022 Fall Color

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It is that time of year again — my favorite season! This past week on walks here in the San Francisco Bay Are I have noticed the signs of the seasonal change. The sun is setting an hour earlier, our first (early!) Pacific weather front is arriving this weekend, some trees are starting to change colors, and the sound of old leaves skittering along the ground in the breeze is everywhere.

Autumn Aspens, Lake, Wildfire Smoke
Wildfire smoke drifts over the Sierra Nevada crest above a lake surrounded by autumn aspens. @ Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Fall color is more prevalent here in California than many realize. The earliest hints come to the high country of the Sierra Nevada in late August, when something in the air changes, corn lily plants turn yellow, the bilberry starts to pick up a bit of red, and you might even find an odd yellow aspen leaf here and there. Things pick up as we progress through September, and by the very end of the month it is often possible to start finding a few examples of good aspen color up high. Then the color works its way down to lower country, the valleys, and the coast over the following months. I’ve sometimes photographed “fall color” in the Central Valley as late as… January!

The main aspen color season in the Sierra peaks during the first half of October. It tends to start at higher elevations as early as the very end of September, becoming quite pronounced early in October, and working down to lower elevations into the third week of the month. If you can only go once, targeting your visit for about one week into the month is a good plan.

No one knows for sure how the season will evolve. Some things stay relatively constant from year to year, while others vary quite a bit based on temperature fluctuations, the amount of precipitation that fell during the year, whether or not early storms sweep through, and more.

I share annual updates on my Sierra Nevada Fall Color page at this website. I just posted this years first message there today — it is mostly some early thinking about how the season may evolve, along with a record of what has happened in some previous seasons. The latter may be useful as you plan your autumn color search in California.

One more thing: I may have something new to write about regarding fall color in a few weeks. Stay tuned…

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

After the Deluge

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After the Deluge
A High Sierra waterfall, brought back to life by torrential rains surges over rocky ledges.

After the Deluge. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A High Sierra waterfall, brought back to life by torrential rains surges over rocky ledges.

I love watching for, observing, and experiencing the typical seasonal transitions. For example, right about now I have my eyes on the first signs of the approach of autumn. In spring I watch water levels in creeks and streams. In winter I track the appearance of birds. However, I’m also fascinated when conditions are abnormal, when something unusual happens that conflicts with our seasonal expectations. The cascade in this photograph, and the “deluge” the caused it, fit into that latter category.

This has been a very dry period in California. Winter precipitation has been far below normal levels, and warmer temperatures have decreased the amount of water released from the snowpack during the warm months. Consequently, the high country has been stressed. Yet… on the first couple of days of our August high country visit we experienced the heaviest and most prolonged heavy summer rain that I have ever experienced in the backcountry. It was heavy enough that we really could not leave our tents for hours, and when we emerged the landscape was drenched and a nearby creek was coming out of its banks. Later on this trip we followed a branch of the stream up into the alpine zone, and along that route we passed this surprisingly powerful waterfall.

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

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspens, Autumn Snow

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Aspens, Autumn Snow
A morning snow squall above a grove of autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Autumn Snow. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A morning snow squall above a grove of autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.

Since it is now July, it seems about time to start dreaming of autumn color, right? I always start thinking of fall color at about this point in summer. I’m not sure if this is a reaction against the hot weather season or just my natural inclination to always feel that my favorite season is the one that is coming next. On a ninety-degree day here in my (relatively cool!) part of California, I have to say that these conditions look pretty appealing right about now!

If I recall correctly, I made this photograph on a morning when it seemed that the conditions were conspiring against me. I had arrived here very early, well before sunrise, and in the faint light I could see that the aspens were thick with colorful leaves. As I started to prepare in the near-darkness a sudden squall swept through — the wind suddenly picked up, the temperature dropped, it began snowing, and I retreated to my vehicle. As it began to clear I realized that perhaps half of the leaves had blown of the trees, but the new dusting of snow on the ridge was compensation.

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.