Tag Archives: leaves

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

Autumn Oaks, Morning

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Oaks, Morning
Autumn oak trees silhouetted in morning light, against the backdrop of smoke from a managed fire, Yosemite Valley.

Autumn Oaks, Morning. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Autumn oak trees silhouetted in morning light, against the backdrop of smoke from a managed fire, Yosemite Valley.

This photograph comes from the my November 1 visit to Yosemite Valley on a day when a managed fire filled the air with smoke. It was especially thick here, as the fire was burning more or less around the meadow containing these trees. In the photograph you can probably see the thicker smoke in the shaded distance, though where I was standing it was not quite as bad.

There were several key features making this photograph work. The slender trunks of these trees are always interesting, but here they were backlight by intense sunlight coming over the top of the Valley walls, increasing the saturation of the fall leaf color. This light also left the trunks in silhouette while lighting up some of the dry autumn grasses, and the smoke muted background distractions.

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.

Photographs: Events, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Twisting Trunks

Image Leave a comment
Twisting Trunks
A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks

Twisting Trunks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks

Dense, twisting little aspen trees are common in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. In our imagination, aspen groves are full of tall, strong trees that stretch on for great distances. Such things exist in the Sierra, generally on a small scale, but they are not the norm. More typical are these stunted, twisting trees — which in many ways are more interesting than those perfect tall trees.

I wandered straight into one of these dense aspen groves as it fell into shadows late in the day. Compositions inside groves are often both plentiful and very difficult. There are interesting shapes and colors everywhere, but there are also complex distractions — oddly colored trees, branches extending into the scene, and more. These trees were more cooperative, twisting around one another in marvelous ways.

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.

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

Lake’s Edge

Image Leave a comment
Lake's Edge
Rocks, autumn leaves, and moving water at the edge of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

Lake’s Edge. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Rocks, autumn leaves, and moving water at the edge of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

This I s a sort of accidental photograph. We went to a subalpine lake before sunrise because the location promised peak fall colors, rugged peaks in morning light, and still water to reflect it all. As happens sometimes, one of those conditions wasn’t met — it was very windy and the lake’s surface did not produce the reflections we hoped for.

But I have learned — though I occasionally forget — that if the thing you came for isn’t there it is a good idea to look around for other unanticipated possibilities. In this case, this one was literally at my feet. (I actually had to back up a bit from where I was standing to get it all in the frame.) At the shoreline the turbulent water had pushed colorful leaves into small piles near interesting rocks, and the water and wet surfaces reflected the light from the sky and sunlit 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 | 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.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Autumn Reflections, Central Park

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Reflections, Central Park
The Manhattan skyline is reflected in the water of The Lake on a hazy autumn day, Central Park.

Autumn Reflections, Central Park. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The Manhattan skyline is reflected in the water of The Lake on a hazy autumn day, Central Park.

We arrived in New York City late in the day, too late to do much other than meet up with family, get a bite to eat, and head back to the hotel. We stayed on the Upper West Side, more or less to the west of the Natural History Museum, and thus a short walk from Central Park. So the next morning — after coffee, of course! — we headed that way to walk and do a bit of photography. We were happy to see that there were still many trees with autumn foliage.

We casually ambled around this lake, known by the descriptive name of “The Lake.” To get photographs from the park that include the Manhattan skyline, I usually seek out open areas that are less obstructed by trees, such as meadows and lakes. The lakes have the added attraction of providing interesting reflections. So here the scene is the lake (oh, sorry, “The Lake”), the autumn foliage of the surrounding trees, and beyond that the skyline of Manhattan just south 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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