Tag Archives: forest

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

Aspen Leaves and Morning Frost

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Aspen Leaves and Morning Frost
“Aspen Leaves and Morning Frost” — Fallen aspen leaves rimmed with frost, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

I ended up doing something a bit unusual with this subject. Instead of selecting one version from the several images I captured, I have now shared three of the same subject. Usually I arrive at a favorite when this happens, but in this case I’m actually torn about which version that is! ( You can find the other two among my recent posts.) Two are, like this one, in landscape orientation and the other uses portrait format.

The tyical fall color photograph focuses on peak color leaves, with their red, orange, and yellow colors. This photo goes in a bit of a different direction. While a few of the fallen leaves exhibit classic fall colors, overall this photograph features much “cooler” light and a different color palette that includes frosty blue and other dark leaf colors.

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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

Trunks and Needles (Vertical)

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Trunks and Needles (Vertical)
“Trunks and Needles (Vertical)” — Trunks and needles at the base of a small copse of Sierra Nevada backcountry trees.

This photograph is the companion to one of the same subject that I shared a while ago — that one was in landscape (or wide) orientation, while this one is in portrait mode. I photographed the bases of these closely-spaced trees during a short backpacking trip into the Sierra Nevada east of Yosemite National Park back in July.

These pines (lodgepole) are ubiquitous in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, and their form varies greatly depending on things like the elevation, the nature of the ground they grow on, and available moisture. While they can form forests of tall and straight trees, they can also adopt the twisted and bent forms typical of high elevations trees.

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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

Lakeside Meadow, Boulders, and Trees

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Lakeside Meadow, Bourlders, and Trees
“Lakeside Meadow, Boulders, and Trees” — Before the sun arrives, a scene at the shore of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake with meadow, boulders, and trees.

The Sierra Nevada is a place of diverse terrain — rugged alpine ridges and summits, gentle meadows, both dense and open forests, streams and rivers, and more. But my favorite places are mostly like this one, where the last trees are about to give way to barren alpine country, and where meadows, running water, and lakes are plentiful.

This scene is typical of that region. It is along the shoreline of a moderate-sized lake at just over 10,000′ of elevation. Away from the meadow and the lake, forests of good-sized lodgepole pines grow, but here in the open it is all about the light, meadows, rocks, sparse trees, and 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: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel

Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace

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Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace
“Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace” — Thick fog engulfs the forest surrounding the Pena Palace near Lisbon, Portugal.

The morning weather was not promising when we took the train from Lisbon, to visit the Pena Palace in the mountains above Sintra. By the time we arrived at the entrance to the palace grounds we we under cloudy skies and soon engulfed by low clouds and fog. I made this photograph as we walked through the forest near the palace.

At first I think we may have been a bit disappointed by this weather — and challenged to keep dry and warm! But as the day wore on my attitude changed. While a warm and sunny day might have felt pleasant, this challenging weather produced a lot more visual drama and mystery.

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.