Tag Archives: lower

Lodgepole Pine Forest, Morning, Lower Young Lake

Lodgepole Pine Forest, Morning, Lower Young Lake

Lodgepole Pine Forest, Morning, Lower Young Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. July 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell all rights reserved.

Morning light illuminates dense lodgepole pine forest near the edge of Lower Young Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

As hard as it is to crawl out of a warm sleeping bag on a cool morning, I managed to do it on this morning. Just as the sun was coming up I was wandering along the shoreline of Lower Young Lake. While I made some photographs of the lake itself, I ended up becoming most interested in the area around the outflow stream. It features a rocky trail crossing of the stream, a small open area of meadow, and very thick surrounding forest. I thought I’d try another in my recent series of very dense and detailed composition here, this one including a thick stand of lodgepole pines just as the sun rose high enough to begin to cast some light on the forest floor.

(To be honest, I’m pretty certain that this one is going to work far better as a large print than as a small jpg… but there you go! )

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: pinus contorta, lodgepole, tamarack, pine, forest, tree, boulder, rock, log, branch, needle, trunk, twist, flora, grass, flower, plant, morning, light, dense, vegetation, lower, young, lake, yosemite, national park, california, usa, intimate, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, hike, backpack, camp, stock

Sunrise, Lower Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley

Sunrise, Lower Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley

Sunrise, Lower Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Panorama of early morning sun illuminating hills in lower Twenty Mule Team Canyon with Death Valley beyond – Death Valley National Park, California.

This is a view of Death Valley that I did not know about until I shot in Twenty Mule Team Canyon last week. As I was working on photographing the nearby folded formations of the earth I happened to look down-canyon in time to see this wonderful light hitting the tops of the hills at the lower portion of the canyon with the rest of Death Valley and the Panamint Range beyond. This photograph is a stitch of two 21MP photographs from the 5DII. Although I exposed them differently I was able to compensate in post and I think the blend is pretty seamless.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: sunrise, dawn, morning, light, illuminate, hills, formations, geology, 20, twenty, mule, team, canyon, lower, death valley, national park, california, usa, panorama, wide, salt, flats, panamint, mountain, range, sky, shadow, vista, landscape, scenic, travel, stock

Near Leidig Meadow, Lower Three Brothers – Yosemite Valley

Near Leidig Meadow, Lower Three Brothers - Yosemite Valley

Near Leidig Meadow, Lower Three Brothers – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Forest-rimmed near Liedig Meadow and the lower face of the Three Brothers, Yosemite Valley, California.

Actually, I’m not certain I have the name of this meadow quite right*, but the closest named area I can find on my maps of the Valley is listed as Leidig Meadow – so I’m sticking with this until I get a better answer. This is one more photograph from my November 2008 rainy weekend in The Valley – and like many of the others from this shoot it features diffused overcast light and colors altered by two days of steady rain.

Update: Several people have confirmed that this area is known as Leidig Meadow. Now I just need to determine the origin of that name.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, leidig, meadow, three brothers, face, lower, forest, trees, autumn, fall, season, plant, grass, green, brown, golden, southside, drive, rocky point, sentinel beach, trunk, leaves, rock, cliff, arch, scenic, travel, landscape, nature, california, usa

Lower Young Lake Shoreline, Dusk

Lower Young Lake Shoreline, Dusk
Lower Young Lake Shoreline, Dusk. Yosemite National Park, California. September 10, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I spent several days in the Young Lakes area of the Yosemite Sierra Nevada back-country on a solo pack trip late last year. Although Young Lakes are very popular during the summer season and can be reached by a one-day roundtrip hike, this I was alone at the lake on a quiet evening following an afternoon of rainy weather.

keywords: black and white, shoreline, lower, young, lake, fall, autumn, evening, dusk, clouds, misty, beach, rocks, reflections, water, surface, trees, forest, silhouette, mountains, peaks, alpine, ridge, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, scenic, landscape, stock, grass