Tag Archives: flow

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

Autumn Flow #2

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Autumn Flow #2
“Autumn Flow #2” — The surface of the Merced River, broken by boulders, reflects golden fall colors from nearby trees.

This is a companion image to another photograph that includes some the same rocks but in vertical/portrait orientation. The scene is an otherwise unremarkable section of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley that probably doesn’t merit a stop from most visitors to the Valley. (Though quite a few park photographers have stopped to make images in this general area.) The appeal is the combination of rocks (at least during periods of low flow in the river), the patterns of moving water, and reflections.

Speaking of reflections, they are the source of the warm colors in the water. They include the light on a very large sunlit cliff on the far side of the valley and the colors of autumn leaves in the forest on the opposite river bank. To notice a scene like this you have to look past what your eyes likely want to see (water and rocks) to see the intense color reflected in the water.

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Autumn Flow

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Autumn Flow
“Autumn Flow” — The surface of the Merced River, broken by boulders, reflects golden fall colors from nearby trees.

I was in Yosemite Valley on the last day of October to photograph the fall colors of oak, maple, and dogwood trees. It may seem odd to some, but I barely photographed the iconic formations of the park at all, instead wandering around looking for more intimate views that suggest autumn. I made this photograph at a place along the Merced River where I’ve stopped for years, a spot where I know that I can find interesting reflected light at the right times of day.

This is a somewhat long exposure, made that way to allow the surface of the water to blur a bit. The location is in deep shadows during much of the day, but here the water reflects the surrounding trees and the light from high cliffs across the valley.

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Evening, Tuolumne River

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Evening, Tuolumne River
“Evening, Tuolumne River” — Evening light on forests and peaks as the Tuolumne River flows through Tuolumne Meadows.

This quiet scene was even more peaceful than usual. It was an early July evening and the campground was still closed. There was hardly anyone else up there. Walking in the meadow I doubt if I saw more than a dozen people. I paused near some half-submerged rocks along the bank of the river and made this photograph looking east toward the Sierra crest in late evening light.

Let me share a secret for those of you who like solitude. Tuolumne Meadows can be a pretty busy place during the peak summer season, between folks staying at the campground and those driving in and out for the day. But at the two most beautiful times of the day the the meadow is often nearly deserted. In the morning many people are still sleeping or on their long rives to the location, and in the evening they are again driving or else back in camp fixing dinner.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Holly, Dry Wash

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Desert Holly, Dry Wash, Death Valley
“Desert Holly, Dry Wash” — A desert holly plant, either dead or dormant, in the middle of a dry wash, Death Valley.

Desert Holly must be one of the must adapted and tenacious plans in Death Valley National Park. It grows in some of the least likely spots — places where there is barely any soil, where the sun bakes the land, and where water is rare. Desert Holly plants can occasionally put out a beautiful cover of pale green leaves, but more often the plant looks dormant or dead, with many dead leaves and very dry branches.

This specimen grew in a desert wash, where water occasionally passes through this very dry area. It has to rely on fairly rare flows of water. Plants grow in much of Death Valley, but few do in this location. While a few further up the wash had green foliage, I saw only dry, desiccated leaves on this one.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)