Tag Archives: lake

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Three Trees, Rocky Slopes

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Three Trees, Rocky Slopes
The conifer trees, illuminated by morning backlight, against a background of rocky terrain slopes.

Three Trees, Rocky Slopes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Three conifer trees, illuminated by morning backlight, against a background of rocky terrain slopes.

Our August backcountry sojourn with a group of fellow photographers began with the absolute heaviest downpour I have experienced during decades the Sierras. It began within seconds after we got our tent (mostly) up and continued for hours, on into the evening. We all crawled inside our tents and tried to stay dry and warm as hail and rain poured down, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the roar of the rising waters on the nearby creek started to get our attention. The weather remained “interesting” on into the second day, only beginning to finally clear a bit on the second evening. But the next morning came with a beautiful sunrise and plentiful sun — and that is when I made this photograph.

This group of three trees stood on rocky ground, and because of that they were not blocked by other trees. As the morning sun rose it finally topped a ridge to the east and the light began to strike the trees. This kind of backlight, especially when it falls on trees, is one of my favorite things in the Sierra. So it should be no surprise that I made a series of photographs of this group, some in landscape orientation and some in portrait orientation. In this one I chose to let the glowing trees fill as much of the frame as possible.

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

Sierra Lake, First Morning Breeze

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Sierra Lake, First Morning Breeze
The first morning breeze stirs the waters of a Sierra Nevada backcountry lake.

Sierra Lake, First Morning Breeze. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The first morning breeze stirs the waters of a Sierra Nevada backcountry lake.

For at least one more day I will hold off on sharing the New York street photography.. Given the absurd heat here in California I think we might all benefit from something that at least evokes cooler weather! Almost precisely a month ago we spent a week base-camped near this spot. The weather was nothing like it is now — our visit started with 24 hours of rainfall, portions of it torrential, followed by a week when rain always threatened and occasionally made good on the threat. What I’d give for that weather now!

On the day I made this photograph most of the rain was behind us, and before sunrise I strolled from camp to a nearby rocky prominence with a 360 degree view of the alpine surroundings. This lake was below my position, and I photographed along the shoreline after sunrise to capture the first breeze disturbing the perfect stillness of its surface as haze glowed in the distance beyond the lake’s outlet.

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

Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght

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Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght
Ridges recede in hazy monring light beyond the outlet of a subalpine lake.

Lake, Ridges, Morning LIght. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Ridges recede in hazy monring light beyond the outlet of a subalpine lake.

A short morning walk up a hill from our campsite took us to this view every day during our August Sierra backcountry sojourn, at least if we decided to start out walking in that direction. (The evening view wasn’t bad either!) The scene had quite a variable personality. One night it featured blood red skies as a storm cleared, on another morning a fog cloud briefly nestled in the valley just beyond the outlet, and on this morning the general haziness produced by California wildfires glowed in the early light.

The outlets of most Sierra lakes are a bit less dramatic than this one, but here the bowl containing the lake pinches off to a very narrow canyon through which the stream exits, flowing down a lengthy valley toward a larger river far below. Various formations rise along that valley, and their silhouettes emphasize the distances looking east and down the canyon.

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

Blue Stone

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Blue Stone
Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

Blue Stone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

At some point on almost any backcountry trip I end up spending time looking at things that I might not notice and photograph at first. The initial focus is often the grand landscape of mountains and valleys and trees and rivers — but eventually I focus on the more “intimate” aspects of the landscape. Among these are the infinitely varied patterns and colors of rock, miniature landscapes of textures and fractures and more.

While walking back and forth between our camp and a nearby high point from which I photographed the larger landscape I had noticed several bands of interesting rock and made a mental note to return to them. A few days into our stay that moment arrived and I spent a few hours wandering slowly through this area, looking intently and finding more to photograph than I had initially seen. The intense color of these rocks is partially due to their innate blue tint and partly due to photographing them when they were in shadows.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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