Tag Archives: forest

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Two Peaks, Aspens

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Two Peaks, Aspens
“Two Peaks, Aspens” — Two peaks surrounded by autumn aspen forest.

When I became aware of the Eastern Sierra Nevada autumn aspen color spectacle a few decades ago, I became obsessed. I traveled there every autumn over a period of several weeks, often visiting three or more times, and photographing up and down the range. I got to know this subject quite well — so well that I eventually was asked to write a book about it! I still love those trees during fall, my favorite season in the Sierra. However, as the area became more popular I began to look to other areas besides the Sierra.

This photograph comes from one of many areas east of the Sierra where you can find fall color. I first spotted this general location years ago on a drive through a section of high desert, and wondered how to get up there. I figured it out before long, and on my first visit I found vast forests of aspens and great long views of the Eastern Sierra. As I continued to explore I found even more color, often in places that are barely visited.

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

Forest and Meadow, Evening

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Forest and Meadow, Evening
“Forest and Meadow, Evening” — Soft evening light on backcountry forest and meadows, Sierra Nevada.

One of the attractions of the Sierra backcountry is deep quiet, something that gets lost in all the attention paid to spectacular peaks, wild sunrises and sunsets, flowing water, and more. From the photographic perspective, this may partly be because it is easier to reflect those powerful subjects in a photograph — quiet photographs don’t demand our attention in the same way. This is one of the quiet photographs.

We were camped very close to this scene for about a week on a backcountry trip. Like virtually all photographers, we started our work at the beginning of our stay by heading out to photograph those peaks, wildflower-filled meadows, spectacular skies, and streams cascading over rocks and through meadows. But as we settled into the quiet daily routines of the backcountry we began to notice other things — like this scene with a few trees and bit of rocky meadow in the soft evening light.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Aspen Transitions

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Aspen Transitions
“Aspen Transitions” — A small stand of old aspen snags surrounded by young trees transitioning to autumn colors, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Photographers sometimes debate the “best” moment to photograph autumn aspen color. Some say it is when the first trees start to show golden color. Others prefer the stage where every color from green through yellow, orange, and red is visible. Then the green leaves fall and only the wild autumn color remains. But there’s also something compelling about the post-peak stage when leaves have fallen and stark white trunks are more visible. This photograph is from the “every color”stage. You can follow the “aspen color rainbow” from the closest green trees to intensely colorful trees farther up the valley.

This color range is not the only “transition” in this photograph. Aspens do not last forever — old trees die and new ones quickly spring up. I’ve gone back to burned groves months after a fire to see new shoots already emerging from the roots of the burned trees. Look closely at this photograph and you’ll see a row of old aspen snags near the front of the scene. Perhaps they were burned in a fire years ago, but now they are almost obscured by the colorful new trees.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpenglow, Meadow

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Alpenglow, Meadow
“Alpenglow, Meadow” — Evening alpenglow comes to high peaks beyond a flower-filled meadoow, John Muir Wilderness.

Since I was unable to get to the Sierra much this season — it is a long story — I’m revisiting the archives, where I find a lot of interesting photographs that were “left behind.” This one comes from a trip into a high backcountry region with a group of fellow photographers a few years back. We set up a basecamp in a high basin just over the crest, and spent a week photographing the heck out of the surrounding terrain.

I made this photograph of evening alpenglow on the surrounding peaks from a stunning meadow that we discovered about 10 minutes walk above our camp. The meadow was open to 360 degrees of alpine terrain, and it was filled with wildflowers, even though it was near the end of August. (One of our group members, stunned when he first saw the meadow, named it “******* Julie Andrews Meadow.” I’ll leave you to guess the missing word.)

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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