Tag Archives: high

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Forest and Peaks, Morning Light

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Forest and Peaks, Morning Light
Morning light on high peaks and forest trees, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Forest and Peaks, Morning Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on high peaks and forest trees, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

My original plan was to post a photograph today from Manhattan — one of my street photography images from a recent visit to New York and surrounding areas. But on a morning when temperatures here are projected to reach 108 degrees (and much higher in other nearby California areas) it seems appropriate to instead share another photograph of a cool mountain scene. Right now I would make some pretty big sacrifices to be back in this place on a day like the one when I made the photograph!

I had left our base camp before sunrise to head up the higher country via an improvised route that crossed a few small streams before following lovely meadows up toward an impressive mountain ridge. (This may look like the crest of the Sierra, but here there are extremely high peaks west of the actual crest.) It was truly a lovely morning. Before long the first sunlight lit the highest peaks, and I stopped to make this photograph as the light arrived on section of forest between the meadows. I continued on up to a small lake in the alpine basin below the peaks.

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, First Light

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Forest And Meadow, First Light
The first morning light at the boundary between forest and subalpine meadow, eastern Sierra Nevada.

Forest And Meadow, First Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on high peaks and forest trees, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Today I swing back from the East Coast to the West Coast and my familiar Sierra Nevada. Back in August a group of us spent a week in the Sierra backcountry exploring the area around our base camp and photographing the heck out of the place. In the middle of a very dry year in California, we were surprised by with some rather wet weather — in fact, a bit too wet during the first 24 hours. On the bright side, mountain streams came back to life, and we had days of interesting and picturesque skies rather than the more common string of Sierra blue sky days.

There’s a pattern to the days on these backcountry base camp trips. We’re usually up early, and folks head out individually or in small groups to investigate whatever potential subjects attract their attention. Rather than going to the highest alpine zones on this trip, I often visited a beautiful subalpine basin filled with meadows and small trees. On several mornings I headed up there, crossing small streams and following the meadows up to the alpine zone. I made this photograph right after one of the crossings, as the first direct light fell on the meadow and forest beneath a pair of brooding peaks.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Forest and Meadow, Morning Light

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Forest and Meadow, Morning Light
The first morning light on a subalpine forest and meadow below rugged High Sierra peaks.

Forest and Meadow, Morning Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The first morning light on a subalpine forest and meadow below rugged High Sierra peaks.

Earlier this week we returned from an extended backcountry visit with friends and fellow photographers. Our goal was to explore and photograph the area around our basecamp… and to spend quality time hanging out during the times of day when the light was less compelling. (Our goal was not to experience the worst Sierra thunderstorm I’ve ever seen, but I digress…) We stayed near a subalpine lake, and from there we wandered off to higher places every day, in search of scenery and light.

Not far above our camp the terrain opened up into glacial bowls that gradually rose above timberline — my favorite sort of Sierra country! On several mornings I followed one of these up a succession of meadows and forested knolls toward the high peaks beyond. I made this photograph just as the first morning light glanced across a rise with larger trees while the more distant slopes remained in shadow.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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, Photographs: Yosemite

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow

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Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow
“Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow” — An alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Over the years I have visited this lake many times. I feel like I know it pretty well now, but I still discover new things each time I go there. My first visit was on a very long day hike in the early fall, in golden light and cooler temperatures. After that I made it a backpacking destination quite a few times, and from here I explored other higher lakes nearby.

On the trip when I made this photograph I had gone earlier in the season to set up a photography base camp. From here I hiked daily to higher lakes, where I photographed more alpine country. A special feature of this location is that it lies on the west side of a ridge running somewhat north-south, with a completely open vista to the west. Late in the day this landscape fills with colorful sunset light.

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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

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