Tag Archives: lembert

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

After the Storm — Tuolumne Sunset

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After the Storm — Tuolumne Sunset
“After the Storm — Tuolumne Sunset” — Sun comes out after a summer storm in the Tuolumne Meadows High Sierra.

Decades ago I started visiting places like this when I was very young. (My first visit to Tuolumne Meadows was almost certainly before I was 10 years old.) In my “early mountain years” — which I think of as roughly the first three decades — it was all about discovery. I went to places I had not been before, saw new sights, experienced things for the first time. Everything was new… which, of course, was kind of the point. But now, a few more decades along life’s path, I see these places differently. To a great extent they are old friends whose acquaintance I renew on each visit.

There are three high points in this photograph — Lembert and Dog Domes in the foreground and the distant summit of Mount Dana at over 13,000’. I’ve stood on all of them. Today they are no longer romantic new objectives, but rather familiar places that are part of my Sierra world. Yet somehow, I still find ways to see something new in them every time I visit.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist

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Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist
“Meadow, Mountains, Morning Mist” — Morning mist rises from a subalpine meadow with trees in the foreground and peaks in the distance.

For a few days in early July I had this usually-crowded Yosemite location almost to myself. The nearby high-country campground was not yet open, and entry-restrictions to the park reduced the number of visitors. I camped just outside the park’s boundaries, and I entered in the mornings before sunrise — there was no line and I could get to my destinations quickly. On a couple of mornings the sunrise destination was this great subalpine meadow.

The meadow runs from east to west, so sunrise and sunset tend to send light down its length. I positioned myself near the west end on this morning, which meant that I was shooting nearly directly into that morning light. Here I placed a group of trees along the right side of the frame, to contrast the dark forms of their trunks and shadows with the lighter distant mountains, details muted by backlit haze.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Mountains, Meadow, and Morning Mist

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Mountains, Meadow, and Morning Mist
“Mountains, Meadow, and Morning Mist” — Ridges leading to Sierra Crest peaks tower above a meadow with rising morning mist.

Tuolumne Meadows runs roughly on an east-west axis along Tioga Pass Road. Consequently, sunrise and sunset light shine along its length. Standing at the west end in the morning the sun rises just left of Mount Dana in the summer. It takes a while for the sun to rise high enough to clear the peaks, but when it does the light is intense.

I made this photograph on such a morning. After photographing a different pre-dawn subject, I headed here with a vague plan to photograph meadow subjects. From this vantage point, the sun’s backlight across the great distances produces striking atmospheric recession on the layers of mountains and ridges between the Meadows and the Sierra Crest.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Domes, Evening

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Domes, Evening
Early evening light on Lembert Done, Yosemite National Park.

Domes, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Early evening light on Lembert Done, Yosemite National Park.

During the last week of summer I finally managed to get up into the Sierra Nevada high country for the first time this season. (As you may know, we were traveling outside the US for most of the summer.) It was great to be back “home” in the Sierra — though the weather conditions were a bit… “interesting.” I encountered thunder and lightning, wind, rain, and even snow! Despite (or perhaps because of?) that weather, I managed to make this photograph of late light on some familiar Tuolumne Meadows during a brief clearing before sunset.

Folks who know Tuolumne Meadows will probably recognize at least a few things in this photograph. A bit of the meadow is, of course, visible in the foreground, just below the trees in the sunlight. The main geologic feature is Lembert Dome, which dominates the local view here, and to its left is its partner, Dog Dome. In the distance over the right shoulder of Lembert Dome is Mount Dana, the second-tallest peak in Yosemite, with its summit covered by clouds.

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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