Tag Archives: inyo

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

Aspen Grove and Pond

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Aspen Grove and Pond
“Aspen Grove and Pond” — Autumn aspen trees on the shore of a small Eastern Sierra Nevada pond.

I came to this spot rather late in the day, though that was partially intentional. I knew that rows of aspens here can glow in backlight in the late afternoon, and there is a short window of opportunity between the time that the sun moves behind them and when it drops behind the surrounding peaks. I arrived and quickly went to work, since I had my eyes on several of the groves.

These trees grow in a row on the far side of a beaver pond. You wouldn’t know it from the photograph, but it can be a bit difficult to find a camera position with a clear view across the water — lots of stuff grows along the near shoreline, and much of it is so wet and muddy that it isn’t easy to get to the water’s edge. When I made the photograph the far slopes of the upper valley had already fallen into shadow, and before long the light would disappear from these trees, too.

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

Two Peaks, Clearing Storm

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Two Peaks, Clearing Storm
“Two Peaks, Clearing Storm” — Clouds from a summer storm begin to clear above two fog-bound Sierra Nevada Peaks.

Rainy weather in the Sierra Nevada often produces post-storm treats, and many of them involve light and clouds and fog. The storms, often brief afternoon or early evening affairs, increase the humidity and drop the temperatures. So once they begin to dissipate it is common to see clouds floating among the peaks, and if you are in the right spot you might even be wrapped in fog. I photographed these two peaks and the clearing sky after one such storm.

The skies are usually clear on most Sierra Nevada summer days. In fact, sometimes they are clear for so long that photographers start to lament the constant blue sky and sun! But every so often moister air floats up the range and afternoon storms ensue. There are no guarantees, but many of them are gone by sunset. The storm that produced these clearing clouds was an exception, a full day of rain that largely kept us tent-bound until this evening.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

After the Rain

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After the Rain
“After the Rain” — Rain-slicked rocks in a subalpiine meadow as a Sierra storm clears.

This photograph evokes memories of a whole range of sensory experiences in the Sierra. Some are specific to the time and place where the photograph was made, but others are more generalized. There’s something compelling about backcountry rain and the experience of its passage. We think of the Sierra as the “range of light,” but a storm changes everything — the light, the colors, the air, the smells, and even the sound.

This time it had rained since the previous afternoon, hard enough to keep us in our tents and away from photography. Shortly after midday it slowed to a light drizzle, and we were able to escape the tents and head out with camera gear. Nearby was an outcropping where the rocks where still shiny with rain, and in the distance post-rain fog was drifting among 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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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

Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog

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Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog
“Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog” — Evening fog drifts over moutains around a Sierra Nevada mountain lake as storm clouds clear.

I made this photograph on a rather remarkable Sierra evening. Late the previous day it had started to rain. Contrary to my expectations and experience, this turned out to not be just another afternoon shower — it absolutely poured, confining us to tents for hours and restricting our photography well into the next day. Finally the rain began to let up and we got out, though everything remained gray and wet. It wasn’t until the second evening, right around sunset, that the clouds finally broke enough to let in some light. But what light it was — perhaps a reward for our forbearance during the storm!

This photograph has been sitting in the archives for quite some time. I have looked at it in periodically and puzzled over how to handle it. The challenge was that the sky color was bright and extremely intense, so my exposure had to leave the foreground in deep shadow. This week I came back to the photo and figured out how to process it. Part of the challenge was technical, but it was also aesthetic — a question of how bright to make things and still retain the sense of oncoming twilight.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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