Tag Archives: flowers

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpine Meadow, Mountains, Storm Clouds

September 26, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

An alpine meadow as storm clouds build over mountain peaks

Over the next week or two, sandwiched between photographs of other subjects, I will share a set of at least four photographs from more or less this same spot, all made the same day. The location was quite special, a broad meadow just a bit below 11,000′ with views toward an impressive range of peaks on the other side of a river valley. The meadow itself was still green, even though it was the end of August, with wildflowers everywhere. Everyone in our party returned to it frequently, morning and evening, and tried to work with its many subjects.

As I introduce the several photographs of the spot, I’ll try to say something about each one, including something about the vision of the mountains that was on my mind as I created it. There were several things at work in this version. The meadow itself is what initially brought me here, of course, and the bright light that fell on it is beautiful, but the photograph includes other elements. The primary secondary element — or is it actually primary? — is the range of jagged, alpine peaks in the distance. I placed the group of small trees in the foreground to balance the image and to lead the viewer into the scene — from the trees, across the meadow to the small pond, then past the small band of further trees and on to the peaks, and then to the sky. The sky is another important element, and emphasizing it was the reason that I used a wider lens and put the horizon relatively low in the frame. (My skies are frequently constrained to the very top of the image… if I include sky at all.) I was struck by the contrast between the sharp peaks and foreground light and how these elements contrasted with the dark and brooding quality of the sky beyond the peaks, where a large thunderstorm was brewing.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Lupine-Filled Meadow, Evening

September 20, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Lupine blooms carpet and alpine meadow against a backdrop of evening light on Sierra Nevada peaks

This was an unusual and exceptional year in the Sierra Nevada, primarily because the range finally — after five years of drought! — had not only good winter precipitation, but record-breaking precipitation. After watching the range dry out in very scary ways for the paste half of a decade, it has been tremendously gratifying to see a summer season that felt more normal. Because of the heavy winter storms, the high country snow melted out later than usual, and many places that typically might open by June or earlier were still closed well into July. And when the high country did open, there was still snow everywhere and creeks and rivers continued to run high well into the summer.

A side effect of all of this was that the short high country season of growth was delayed and extended, as we clearly saw during our week-plus backcountry photography excursion at the end of August and into the first few days of September. In a typical year I usually begin to sense autumn coming on by this point in the season, but this year it felt like full-blown summer: the creeks were still flowing strongly, there were snow fields in the higher mountains and we still had to cross them to get over passes, meadows were lush and green, and there were wildflowers everywhere. this meadow was a wonderful example. Located only a short walk away from our camp, it was absolutely filled with flowers, but especially with one of the largest displays of lupine that I’ve seen in the range.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Swamp Onion Flowers

September 16, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Swamp onion flowers growing at the edge of a Sierra Nevada meadow

As I’ve written previously, during our late-August (and a couple of days into September) Sierra back-country visit this year we were treated to a surprising scene — green and lush meadows and plenty of wildflowers, something more typical of perhaps late July or early August. During the previous three years the Sierra was greatly affected by the historic drought, and much of the range was already drying out before August, so the change was striking and gratifying. It has been too long since I’ve seen the summer Sierra full of flowers and with snow banks still covering the higher peaks and ridges.

Shortly after we arrived at our back-country base camp we began investigating the nearby subjects that might be worthy of photography. Below “our lake” there was a small meadow clearing that was full of moisture, and near its lower end was one of the largest displays of the flowers of swamp onion (also known as pacific, wild, and mountain onion) that I recall seeing. This plant has always held a special place for me on my back-country travels. It grows in wet areas, and often it produces very large clusters of the plants; the flowers are attractive; and the scent of fresh onion is lovely. I’ll admit to occasionally rubbing or even breaking off a bit of a leaf to enjoy that fragrance! These flowers were in this meadow, where I had arrived to photograph very early, while frost was still on the ground and the sunlight had not yet arrived. I made this photograph as the first beams of morning sun hit the meadow itself and back-lit these plants and their flowers.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Meadow, Flowers, Trees, and Mountains

September 10, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A stream winds through a tree and flower-filled meadow holding a subalpine lake, with distant peaks, John Muir Wilderness

And, yes, yet another photograph from our end-of-August-start-of-September trip into the John Muir Wilderness backcountry, during which we spent more than a week photographing some very spectacular scenery and hanging out with a fine group of fellow photographers. Our camp was located on a moraine near the site of this photograph — a high spot with some visibility to a larger panorama, but also somewhat hidden from others who might pass by.

Below our camp was this meadow and the lake beyond. The conditions were very special — for the end of August and beginning of September the meadow was still very lush and green and the wildflowers were still thriving. There were all kinds of flowers in the meadow, but this photograph mostly features paintbrush flowers and plants.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: flowers

Alpine Meadow, Mountains, Storm Clouds

Lupine-Filled Meadow, Evening

Swamp Onion Flowers

Meadow, Flowers, Trees, and Mountains

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