Tag Archives: leafless

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Old Tree in Winter

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Old Tree in Winter
An old and gnarled tree, leafless near the end of winter.

Old Tree in Winter. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old and gnarled tree, leafless near the end of winter.

Having a large archive of photographs that are sorted and filed by date proves useful in lots of ways. For example, this past week I wanted to remind myself of the likely conditions of a particular subject I intend to photograph soon, and by looking back a few years I was able to get a pretty good fix on the timing of a pretty significant annual change affecting this subject. It also proves useful for non-photographic purposes… such as remembering how our world was starting to close down in March of 2020 and how we responded to it.

This photograph comes from near the beginning of March last year, at a time when we were well aware that danger was on the horizon, but when we had not yet fully responded as a society. (That was about to happen, and I should be able to share some photographs that remind me of that threshold in the next few weeks.) On this day I recall pausing beneath this sprawling wetland tree and appreciating the layers of curves and various sized branches leading upward toward an extremely bright late-winter sky.

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

Aspen Grove, White Trunks

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Aspen Grove, White Trunks
A dense stand of small, nearly leafless aspen trees with white trunks

Aspen Grove, White Trunks. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dense stand of small, nearly leafless aspen trees with white trunks

This little grove of aspens and I have a long acquaintance. The grove isn’t anything that you would probably notice, even if you found it and pass right by. It is much like many thousands of other aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada… and many thousands more across the western US. But it is one of “my” groves, and I stop there pretty much every year at some point.

The trees in this spot are not terribly large, in fact they might seem larger in the photograph than they actually are. The grove is very close and dense, and if I step inside and try to walk around I have to duck and squeeze between trees. I usually prefer to photograph it up close, using a wide-angle lens, and from just beyond its edge, where the brighter light falls on the trunks. Ideally, as on this day, a bit of overcast reduces contrast a bit and fills in the shadows. it is always a challenge, though usually a pleasant one, to try to find workable compositions in the dense complexity of these groves. It often initially looks like the process should be obvious and easy, but once I start framing things up I invariably discover little “deal-breakers” in the composition — a dark branch, a distracting background, an unfortunate juxtaposition of branches. But eventually, with patience and persistence, things can fall together.

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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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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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

Riverbank Trees, Winter Light

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Riverbank Trees, Winter Light
Bare winter trees along the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Riverbank Trees, Winter Light. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bare winter trees along the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

There are many interesting things in Yosemite Valley. (“Duh!,” right?) The big, iconic features are well-known, but wander away from those a bit and you are bound to find more things worth exploring — trails, bends in the river, groves of trees, meadows, boulders, views of less-known cliffs, hidden seasonal waterfalls, and even historical human structures. Wander in the right directions at the right times and you may even find something approaching solitude in this busy place. (You’ll increase the odds if you do your wandering at times other than the summer tourist season.)

This photograph only required a small bit of wandering, since the walk to this spot is quite short. One of may photography habits in the Valley is to seek out “edges” — where shadow and light meet. These places produce all kinds of wonderful effects, including the possibility of somewhat subdued light and the opportunity to place brightly lit subjects against darker backgrounds. These trees provided such an opportunity, as the long shadows of cliffs along the north side of the Valley were growing across the Valley floor, leaving the riverside trees in low, late-afternoon sun while the background subjects had already fallen into shadows. The stark winter light, nearly devoid of color, produced an almost monochromatic scene with only subtle hints of color.

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

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Central Park, Winter

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Central Park, Winter
Bare trees and an empty plaza on a cold winter day in Central Park

Central Park, Winter. G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bare trees and an empty plaza on a cold winter day in Central Park

It was an utterly frigid day in New York City when I made this photograph. This Californian is not really used to such weather, but we gave it a good try, heading out each day on long walks that sometimes lasted many hour despite temperatures around and sometimes lower than 20 degrees. (Some of you are used to that, but a “cold” midday temperature here in near-the-coast Northern California would be in the upper-forties.) Our morning began with an aborted attempt to visit the Guggenheim Museum — we made it there, got in line, stood there gradually getting colder and colder, finally figured out that the line wasn’t actually moving, gave up, and found a warm and cozy place to go eat and drink.

Afterwards we headed out on foot once again, eventually ending up back at Central Park. I’ve been there at different times of the year. In summer there are often many thousands of people in the park — walking, cycling, skating, sitting around, eating, lounging on lawns, and more. There are expansive green lawns and big, leafy trees. In winter those lawns die and the trees lose their leaves. There are people in the park, but only a tiny fraction of the number seen in summer, and most seem to be on their way somewhere else — probably somewhere else warm. But I like the park this time of year. The gray solitude of the place appeals, and the leafless trees permit more of the surrounding urban world to be seen. This little plaza, nearly empty, was along the east side of the park as we gradually worked our way to the lower end of the park.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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