Tag Archives: gold

North Lake and the Sierra Crest, Fall

North Lake and the Sierra Crest, Fall
North Lake and the Sierra Crest, Fall

North Lake and the Sierra Crest, Fall. Sierra Nevada, California. October 2, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brilliant gold and red fall aspens ring the upper shore of North Lake as the Sierra Crest towers above.

Somewhat past the “golden hours” of first light I investigated a hill above this lake as a possible shooting location. Because this was a morning of mixed clouds and sun, the time for good light was more extended than it might otherwise have been. The clouds began thicker and gradually began to thin, and as they did so the mixed sun and cloud shadows moved continually across the landscape, spotlighting different parts of the scene. This was one of those situations that puts the lie to the notion that the landscape is a fixed and static thing – from my perspective the entire scene was in a constant state of flux and photographing it required full attention. Here most of the shadows had cleared from the scene, with the exception of some over the foreground lake and a few scattered among the peaks, and beams of light slanted into the scene to light up the grove of brilliantly colorful fall aspens.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographer, Sabrina Basin

Photographer, Sabrina Basin" — A photographer working the autumn colors from a ridge in Sabrina Basin, Sierra Nevada, as an early fall storm comes in.
“Photographer, Sabrina Basin” — A photographer working the autumn colors from a ridge in Sabrina Basin, Sierra Nevada, as an early fall storm comes in.

I wandered out onto this ridge above Sabrina Basin, a spot that I know for its unobstructed view of the valley and the peaks of the Sierra crest above Sabrina Lake, far up the canyon. I had my eyes on some rocky benches that run along the top of the ridge As I approached I saw that I wasn’t the only photographer with this idea. As I crossed the rocks toward the overlook, he was working my intended camera position, so I decided to sit back and let him finish. (The ridge wasn’t wide enough for both of us to work together there.)

As I waited, I thought there was something interesting about his position above the valley, his concentration on shooting, his all-blue outfit (shirt and jeans, on a cold and rainy day!), and that wide brimmed hat. So I decided to make a few photographs of him. We barely talked at all. I hoped to get his name, but that didn’t happen. The best I was able to do was give him a card, and offer him a copy of the photo if he contacted me. Never heard from him…


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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Autumn Rain, Merced River

Autumn Rain, Merced River
Autumn Rain, Merced River

Autumn Rain, Merced River. Yosemite Valley, California. October 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fall colors and mist along the Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

Returning to the land of color – after a spate of recent black and white posts – this is a photograph made on a rainy day along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley, as fall color came to the trees and bushes and fog drifted along the walls of the Valley. This photograph was made from the bridge near Curry Village as it rained lightly and the colors were reflected in the calm surface of the river. Probably because of the damp weather and the relatively early hour there was hardly any one else around, and this in a location that is often quite busy.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Slender Aspens, Bishop Creek

Slender Aspens, Bishop Creek
Slender Aspens, Bishop Creek

Slender Aspens, Bishop Creek. Sierra Nevada, California. October 2, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Slender aspen trunks and intense yellow leaves along the south fork of Bishop Creek.

I found these beautiful white-trunk trees growing in a long row alongside one of the forks of Bishop Creek in the early evening. I had been in this area before to shoot different subjects nearby, but these trees had not been colorful on that occasion so I had pretty much ignored them.

There are things I like about this photo, such as the light color and parallel lines of the tree trunks and the bits of leaves and plants below them, but I have some ideas about how I would like to shoot this scene differently next time. So I’m going to count it as a sort of scouting report shot and try to return to this spot next season.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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