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

Aspens in Green and Yellow

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Aspens in Green and Yellow
“Aspens in Green and Yellow — A grove of tall aspen trees in transition from summer green to autumn gold, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Recently I wrote that I have not been able to visit the Eastern Sierra this season (as of this writing) while I work through a health issue. It is disappointing to miss the aspen color season this year, but I’m fortunate to have a huge archive of photographs from previous autumns. Recently I dug back into that archive and found some older photographs that I never worked up for public presentation. This is one of them.

Sometimes the trick with aspen photography, and fall color photography in general, is finding ways to make some kind of compositional sense out of wild colors and abundant details. I often stop and stare at forests like this one, trying to find the section in which some sense of order may emerge. It is usually there, but it can take a while to find it. Here I think that the combination of the large gesture of yellow leaves and the underlying patters of vertical trunks makes it work.

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

Autumn Forest and Creek

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Autumn Forest and Creek
An Eastern Sierra creek flows past a forest in full autumn color.

Autumn Forest and Creek. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An Eastern Sierra creek flows past a forest in full autumn color.

Perhaps because I wrote a book on the subject, people ask where the “best” autumn color is in the Sierra Nevada. I’m not really a subscriber to the “Best Thing” notions — that designation is often highly subjective, and there are other similar things that are as good or even better. This is certainly true when it comes to Sierra Nevada fall color. Is it the east side aspens? Should the cottonwoods be in the running? What about dogwoods, oaks, and maples on the west side? Do you like your trees as individual characters or as mass crowds. Do you like them tall and straight or short and bent? In other words, I cannot name a specific best place. But..

… there is good news — there is great fall color all over the range, and in many cases you don’t have to go to special, iconic places to find it. To me, this little scene is “about as autumn as you can get” in the Eastern Sierra: a gently flowing creek, some willows and other undergrowth in red and yellow, aspens turning, and white trunks set off against the color. Where is it? It really doesn’t matter. You can wander off in a thousand places in the range and find something just as good!

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

Autumn Aspens in a Row

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Autumn Aspens in a Row
A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

Autumn Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

After years of photographing near her, this row of tall and straight aspens is almost an old friend. I visit every fall, trying to time my arrival for the best color — well into the colorful phase, but with most leaves still intact. I also time it for late in the day, when this canyon falls into shade and the light softens, revealing colors and shadow details that are lost in bright midday light.

This group of trees is a welcome exception to the typical Sierra patterns of aspen growth. In photographs from other parts of the American West you may see extensive groves of tall straight aspens extending into the distance. That sort of thing is extremely rare here. The trees are often much shorter and they are frequently twisted and bent. But occasionally, where the conditions are right, the Sierra manages to produce some of the tall and straight specimens… like those seen here.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Fallen Aspens, Canyon Light

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Fallen Aspens, Canyon Light
An autumn aspen grove in late afternoon light, with some trees that have fallen over.

Fallen Aspens, Canyon Light. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An autumn aspen grove in late afternoon light, with some trees that have fallen over.

As I posted this photograph it occurred to me that “leaning aspens” or “falling aspens” might better describe what is going on here — but I’m sticking with the original title. This is a somewhat different view of a subject that I shared previously, photographed on an autumn day when the sun was just about to drop behind high ridges to the west and the hazy air glowed in the backlight. The primarily photograph I came away with included a larger portion of the scene, but I also grew to like this one that narrows its focus to a group of small-trunk trees. The trees at right on on the edge of a pond, and I suspect that they are leaning as a result of growing in wet, unstable soil.

This will almost certainly be my final aspen photograph of 2021, so I’ll add a few general comments about photographing this subject in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. One feature of the Sierra aspens is that they grow in wildly different niches. Some trees find large, flat areas with good soil, ample water, and protection from the elements, and they may grow into tall, straight, massive trees. Many others seem to struggle in rocky soil, drier locations, high elevations, limited light, exposure to wind, and these trees — the majority of Sierra aspens, in my experience — often show the effects. They can be twisted, stunted, knocked over by avalanches, and more. Superficially you might think that this reflects poorly on “our aspens.” But the reality is that we can find a great variety of aspen forms — more, I think, than in some areas known for these trees.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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