Tag Archives: gold

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Corn Lilies, Late Summer

December 13, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late summer corn lilies begin to take on fall colors, Yosemite National Park.

Corn Lilies are among my favorite Sierra Nevada high country plants. During their short summer growth period they begin as corn-cob-shaped shoots that spring up in wet areas as the snow melts out. They quickly grow into lush green plant in thick bunches that are intensely green and which have beautiful curving shapes and textures. (This makes them a very popular subject for photographers!) As the season continues they begin to show some “flaws” from insect damage and so forth, and at some point in August they begin to lose their green color, often beginning to pick up some brown coloration that can be nearly golden in the right light. At some point in September even the most durable specimens begin to be striped with yellow, brown, or even black and they finally simply fall over.

I found this bunch very close to our campsite in the back-country of Yosemite National Park around the middle of September. Although you cannot see it in this photograph, this clump of corn lilies had fallen over in a most interesting way – they all fell pointing away from the center of the group! So these plants are in the middle of falling over, and are lit by early morning light diffused by forest cover.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Aspens and Cliff Face

November 9, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Two aspen trees with a few remaining autumn leaves grow against a cliff near North Lake, California.

I photographed this little scene on my first real morning of aspen photography this season in early October. I arrived quite early at North Lake, driving up the snowed in gravel road right after it had apparently been reopened. It was unplowed but other vehicles had clearly been up there, I have four-wheel drive, and I wanted to see what I would find before too many others arrived later in the day. There were few people there when I arrived, which was a bit unusual since this area is often crawling with photographers, individually and in workshops, at this time of the year. But the fact that the road was still snow-covered and that the storms had affected the aspens seemed to keep people away.

I parked before arriving at the lake, shouldered my gear, and walked up to the lake. I bypassed the popular spot near the outlet stream – been there, done that! – and keep walking along the road that skirts the right side of the lake. Everything was still frozen and it was very cold – and I regretted not bringing my winter boots along! The aspen photography was not quite what I had hoped, but there were other subjects, among them the fresh snow – an unusual sight for early October!

In looking for subjects other than the “regular” views of North Lake – which can be spectacular and well worth photographing, too – I often walk slowly along the lake-side road and keep my eyes open along the rocky cliffs that line it. Because the direct sunlight doesn’t hit this spot until later in the day, it is often possible to find softer morning light and even some light reflected from across the lake. On this morning I found that many of the aspen leaves had fallen or turned brown as a result of the storm, but a few were left and the stark white trunks of the trees against the rocks seemed like an interesting subject.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Trunks, Bishop Creek

November 5, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of closely spaced aspen trunks in an autumn grove in the Bishop Creek, California area.

While the truly wild peak colors of the aspen trees are hard to resist, I also like the trees at other stages. This scene shows one other sort of condition that appeals to me as well. The trees might be described as being “past peak,” since most of the leaves have fallen and the bare trunks and branches are now becoming more visible. However, this opens up the light within the groves and gives a better view of the dense arrangement of trunks and branches, and the smaller number of leaves almost stand out more distinctly than the overwhelming masses of them that are seen a bit earlier in the season.

This photograph was made in mid-October. I had visited this area the previous week, but had been almost a bit disappointed by the color at that time. An early October series of cold winter-like storms had passed over the Sierra, leaving a beautiful coating of snow… but also bringing down many of the colorful leaves and turning others black or brown. But one week later, as if to compensate, up and down the east side of the Sierra the colors suddenly went wild.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Color, South Fork Bishop Creek

October 29, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Brilliant peak autumn color in aspen groves along the south fork of Bishop Creek, eastern Sierra Nevada.

One week earlier I had visited this same area only to find a mixture of trees that had lost their leaves during a series of early fall snow storms and trees that were essentially still fully green. What a difference a week made! This fall it seemed that once the color change started, it moved quickly. Not only were these middle elevation trees in full autumn color, but in many places the color extended all the way down to the edge of Owens Valley.

These trees are along the south fork of Bishop Creek, off of the road to South Lake, and not far from so-called “Mist” or “Misty” falls. (I’m skeptical about this waterfall – it gives every appearance of having been constructed by redirecting water to a place where it would not likely flow naturally. I’ll welcome accurate information about that.) Perhaps because these trees grow in a fairly open and wide valley, many of them have managed to grow rather tall and quite straight, in contrast to a number of other Sierra groves that consist of small and often twisted trees. The rows of trees angle up slopes from the creek in the valley bottom and seem to be arranged in diagonal groves that ascend the hillside.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: gold

Corn Lilies, Late Summer

Autumn Aspens and Cliff Face

Aspen Color, South Fork Bishop Creek

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