Tag Archives: granite

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspens and Boulder

October 28, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Fall aspen trees drop yellow leaves on a boulder in the Bishop Creek drainage, Sierra Nevada, California.

I made this photograph in very low evening light – as those who have looked at the technical information and noticed the four second exposure time have already figured out. I was shooting in canyon on a cloudy evening with light rain late in the day – so it should be no surprise that there was little light. What the light lacks in intensity at this time of day, it makes up for by being so diffused and soft that the shadows light up in ways that aren’t seen during the regular daylight hours.

On a day of gentle rain and overcast, the wind had died down in the evening, allowing the long exposure necessary for this photograph. The colorful aspens almost seem to glow in this light, and the golden leaves had first caught my attention. But as I looked at this little scene the leaves that had fallen across the boulder and the nearly white colors of the tree trunks also intrigued me.

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

Shoreline, Upper Young Lake

September 28, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening light on granite slopes and the shoreline of Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

In a way this is sort of a “test shot,” since I haven’t really focused on this portion of Upper Young on previous visits. I want to return and “work” this section of the lake, along with the area between it and the middle lake, and also the upper end of this lake, which I’ve barely visited. I made this photograph during that wonderful late time in the day when the light changes from moment to moment, the colors gradually become more and more interesting, and the slight backlight partially obscures the details of the background slopes.

This particular terrain is perhaps as close as any to what I regard as “my ideal Sierra” – that magical zone just below or at timberline where there are meadows, either open or intimate and separated by rocks and trees, and the light is everywhere, uninterrupted by trees. There are enough plants to give this sort of area an almost lush appearance, especially early in the season and when the light is right. And while I like the higher and truly alpine regions of the passes and peaks, I’d rather hang out in areas like this one where there is a certain amount of greenery and the high elevation harshness is moderated a bit.

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.

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

Autumn Light, Yosemite High Country

September 26, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late season evening light on a trees and a small meadow near Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

After hiking up from Lower Young Lake and arriving at the upper lake well before the good light I wandered off along the southwest shoreline of Upper Young Lake to scope out photographic subjects for the “good light” period that was going to start very soon. First I walked along the shoreline where I found several prospective shots of a rock outcropping with trees at the end of a peninsula that curves into the lake. I kept walking along the shoreline and found a few more interesting formations with the backdrop of the more distant hillside leading to the ridge that runs along the edge of the basin. Eventually I worked my way a bit beyond the lake to a point where small, grassy gullies began to drop toward the steeper terrain leading to the next lake down the valley, and here I found some interesting backlit trees and boulders, again with the hazy image of the more distance hillside beyond.

This photograph was made pointing almost directly toward the lowering sun – it is actually just a bit to the right and behind some rocks and trees that are out of the frame. Because it was so close to the end of the day – and because of the late time of the season – the light soon became very saturated and warm colored. To me this scene says “end of summer” in the high country – while it is still comfortable and the winters snowfall is still weeks in the future, there is a time in September when the days shorter, the grasses turn golden brown, the aspen color is only weeks away, and most of the tourists have left when the changing of the seasons can no longer be denied.

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.

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

Last Light on Trees, Upper Young Lake

September 20, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

The last sunset light strikes trees growing on a boulders at the end of a peninsula at Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

After arriving at Upper Young Lake with the intention of photographing a small, lone shoreline tree… I promptly wandered off and photographed a number of other subjects instead. (I mentioned elsewhere that I ran into John Sexton and Anne Larsen also photographing here, and John pointed out correctly that the tree would end up shaded at the time of best light. Need to go back in August for that one…) First I did a bit of reconnoitering around the west side of the lake, wandering down to and beyond the outlet stream, and thinking about how to photograph this rocky prominence at the end of a small curving peninsula. Then I photographed a bit near the drop-off from the upper lake towards the middle lake. After that I walked back toward the outlet stream again, noted the predicted shadow on the tree, and decided to focus my attention on this peninsula/rocky/tree subject, which I stuck with until the light faded.

When I began photographing this subject the low angle evening sun was casting its warm light on the rocks, trees, water, and even parts of the distance rocky slopes. As the sun dropped various areas began to fall into shadow and the light became warmer and warmer. I made this photograph just before the very last direct light left these trees.

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.

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