Tag Archives: fog

Mist in the Trees

Mist in the Trees
Mist drifts among Eastern Sierra trees as a summer storm clears.

Mist in the Trees. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Mist drifts among Eastern Sierra trees as a summer storm clears.

One this evening the storm finally cleared. Over the course of an hour or two the higher clouds thinned, and some promising light began to glow high above. I watched from an elevated rocky position as peaks began to appear intermittently and clouds of fog flowed back and forth across the landscape.

The fog seemed to be the result of the abundant atmospheric moisture from the rains of the past two days. At times it almost obscured all of the landscape that was above my position, but soon a breeze would push it this way and that, and trees and rocks and ridges were revealed. I was especially interested in mist drifting among trees just above me, and I photographed this bit of forest as the fog begin to thin again.


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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Ridge, Fog, Sunset

Ridge, Fog, Sunset
Post-storm fog drifts among trees and domes at sunset, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Ridge, Fog, Sunset. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Post-storm fog drifts among trees and domes at sunset, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

The clouds finally began to break up “for real” late on the second day of our recent Sierra Nevada backcountry stay. First the rain stopped, then we began to see a few thin spots in the clouds, and eventually faint areas of blue sky appeared above the peaks through a veil of mist. After more than twenty-four hours of rain, we were ready to head out and make some photographs!

I did not know what the evening would bring so I decided to walk to a high spot with a 360-degree view, from which I might photograph a range of subjects. As the clearing continued, clouds of fog rolled back and forth among the nearby ridges and through the forest. One moment I’d photograph mist in trees, and the next I would turn and photograph light breaking through among the peaks. This scene unfolded to my east as sunset light began to color the fog and clouds over lower ridges.


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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Clearing Storm, Evening

Clearing Storm, Evening
“Clearing Storm, Evening” — The sky lights up at sunset as a Sierra Nevada storm clears.

Our backcountry stay began with the absolute worst summer Sierra storm I can remember. Within seconds of getting our tent up the skies let loose with an hours-long barrage of extremely heavy rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and wind. Everything around us flooded, and we had a stream flowing under the tent. There was nothing to do but shelter in the tent and try to stay dry and warm. We managed to escape briefly to eat a quick dinner, but the rain continued. It paused later that night… and then resumed before dawn and continued through most of the next day, albeit not as heavily.

Finally, late on day two, the storm broke. We began to see some thinning in the clouds to the west, and we began to hope for some interesting sunset light. Out we went, with each of us making guesses as to when and where the light might appear. At first I photographed the fog that was drifting back and forth among the surrounding peak, and then I began to turn my attention to the west, where I hoped to get some sunset color. Not much was happening there… and then I looked behind me to see see this scene developing!


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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

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South Beach Harbor, Morning

South Beach Harbor, Morning
Sailboats docked at San Francisco’s South Beach Harbor on a foggy summer morning.

South Beach Harbor, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Sailboats docked at San Francisco’s South Beach Harbor on a foggy summer morning.

On occasion I gloat about how fortunate we are to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. (It isn’t perfect, but still…) One of the pluses is proximity to San Francisco, itself. By the “baby bullet train” or by car I can be there in about an hour, at least outside of rush hour. I’ve long enjoyed taking the train up there and then wandering through the city and photographing. I vary my walking routes, but I almost always begin by heading toward the waterfront and past this harbor, where boats lie quietly at anchor in the morning.

Summer in San Francisco (as many tourists discover too late) is not generally a warm and sunny time. Fog is common, especially in the morning, and being surrounded on three sides by water the place can be windy and cool. But all of this produces special atmosphere and light. Here I’m looking past the boats and toward the other side of the Bay, where morning sunlight begins to thin the fog.


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 | FacebookEmail

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.