Tag Archives: lodgepole

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

Forest, Early Evening Light

Image August 7, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Soft, early evening light on forest trees in the Tuolumne River Dana Fork drainage

It was evening, and I had stopped in a familiar location along Tioga Pass Road between Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass, a place where the terrain opens up a bit to offer broader views back to the west and up toward the highest peaks in the area, and above which a rugged peak of fractured granite and talus rises. It is also a place where I can almost always spot deer late in the day.

I made a few photographs of the higher peaks and ridges, then turned my attention to photographing forest vignettes using a long focal length lens. In many places the light was difficult, as it almost front-lit the trees in the most obvious direction. As I paused and looked around I first noticed a skeletal dean tree near this spot and started to pay more attention to the forest itself. It was softly lit by light coming from a cloudy sky, and there was enough diffused light to open up the forest shadows just a bit.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: Unclassified, Photographs: Yosemite

Young Tree, Meadow, and Forest

August 26, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The last ground fog clears in the distance beyond a young Tuolumne Meadows tree.

In mid-July we were in the Tuolumne Meadows area for a single night, camping at the main campground. It was a little bit of a lazy trip — photography was on the agenda, but the main reason we were there was to field-test some new gear that we plan to make more substantial use of on an upcoming trip. Very heavy wildfire smoke also put a bit of a damper on photography on the first day and into the evening. So when I went to sleep that night I wasn’t really sure if the smoke would clear in the morning, and I entertained the possibility of sleeping in.

A half hour before dawn I awoke and peered outside. It was hard to see in the faint light, but it appeared that the smoke had pretty much cleared, so I unzipped my sleeping bag, quickly dressed warmly, grabbed camera gear, and was on my way to the nearby meadow. I arrived before the first sun arrived, a very quiet and peaceful time when few others are out and about. In fact, for an hour I had “my” section of the meadow and surrounding forest entirely to myself. Soon the first beams of sunlight arrived and the thin ground fog began to dissipate. I love shooting into the morning light, especially when there is a just a bit of haze in the atmosphere. If you look closely you may be able to see the last remnants of the ground fog on the far side of the meadow.

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

Morning Light, Trees and Granite

August 11, 2017 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Morning sun backlights a grove of trees growing on granite slabs

One of my Sierra Nevada photographic obsessions has to do with back-lit trees. There is something about that light that I find compelling — possibly the halo effect of the brilliantly lit ends of branches, perhaps the possibility of photographing something that is very difficult to actually look at in person, or maybe the contrasting effects of sharply defined close details juxtaposed with bright and haze backgrounds. For me, this light, along with the granite slabs and boulders, provide definitive features of the Yosemite high country.

On this morning I was out early, driving along Tioga Pass Road as the sun came up. (Driving was required this time, as I had to camp outside the park and drive in very early.) I had stopped in Tuolumne meadows, nearly empty of people since it was early and the campground was still closed, and had worked in the still and quiet morning to photograph the early light coming over the Sierra crest. I happened to notice this little granite and tree vignette as I turned away from my main subject for a moment.

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

Evening Meadow and Forest

August 27, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening at subalpine meadows near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park

I began photographing in this meadow area much earlier — in the late afternoon, actually, when direct sunlight still streamed over the tall ridge to the west. I initially passed right through this section on my way to points further to the east in the meadow, where I found more open terrain, expansive views, and a few small lakes and tarns.

The light leaves early here. That western ridge begins to cast a shadow across the meadows well before actual sunset. Even though I was as far from this ridge as possible, eventually the shadows caught up with me and the light was gone, with the exception of the highest peaks where it would linger much longer. So I began my slow walk back across the meadow to my vehicle, enjoying the softer light of this quiet time of the day.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: lodgepole

Forest, Early Evening Light

Young Tree, Meadow, and Forest

Morning Light, Trees and Granite

Evening Meadow and Forest

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.