“Trees and Peak” — Mount Data and High Sierra forest.
This was a slow, quiet Sierra morning. I had set up camp at Tuolumne Meadows the night before, and this was my first early outing of the trip. I headed up Tioga Road before sunrise and decided to cross the pass and visit some favorite areas on the east side of the crest. I started by going up high where I could photograph sunrise light on the highest peaks. After finishing that — and poking around a few interesting nearby spots — I decided to head back down the way I had come.
“Sierra Meadow and Peak” — Early light strikes a Sierra Nevada crest peak above a shadowed subalpine valley.
I was up and out of camp in the dark on this late-August morning. My plan was to work my way up Tioga Pass Road toward the pass, where I had a few subjects in mind along the way. After that I would head over the pass and out of the park to explore some areas just east of the Sierra crest. After going to the end of this valley to make a few photographs of alpine terrain, I headed back down this way, to pausing at a few places I had noted on the way up.
“Soft Light, Ellery Lake” — Ellery Lake in early morning soft light.
This spot and this view have long intrigued me. The lines and curves lead from the shoreline forest at left, past that talus-covered slope on the right, across the water to another peninsula, and finally to the massive face rising beyond. The personality of this view can change remarkably — I’ve photographed during storms, under the full moon, in direct sunlight.
“Sierra Setting Moon at Sunrise” — The setting full moon drops behind Sierra Nevada peaks lit my sunrise light.
Last fall I was in a popular Eastern Sierra location to photograph autumn aspen color. I had arrived before sunrise, while it was still pre-dawn twilight. I began photographing before the sun came up, continued through the arrival of first direct light, then moved on to some other nearby subjects. As I continued to work I could not help noticing that the full moon was setting in the western sky.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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