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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Redwood Forest, Sunbeams

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Redwood Forest, Sunbeams

Redwood Forest, Sunbeams. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 24. 2009. © G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Beams of morning sunlight stream between the trees of the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This is another photograph of the wonderful morning sunlight during my late October visit to Muir Woods National Monument. I usually visit and photograph Muir Woods in softer cloudy or foggy conditions which are, to be honest, easier to photograph. That diffused light lights the shadows and reduces the overall dynamic range of the scenes. However on this morning the sun was out and the light was magical, streaming through the forest canopy and between the giant trees to light up the air and the forest floor.

I perhaps mentioned that the previous photograph I posted from Muir Woods required me to merge two exposures to deal with this huge dynamic range – but this one required three exposures separated from each other by 2-stop brackets! The brightest exposure captured some detail in the trunks of the trees and the plants near the bottom of the frame, while the darkest exposure let me retain a bit of the branch detail in the very bright area where the light comes through between the trees.

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.

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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Redwood Forest, Morning Light

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Redwood Forest, Morning Light

Redwood Forest, Morning Light. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light in the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

On a late October weekend when I had intended to photograph in Yosemite Valley, I instead ended up shooting at Muir Woods National Monument in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area north of San Francisco. I shoot here frequently – in fact, some of my photos are sold in the gift shop at the monument – and I’m working on building up a body of work representing a lot of different subjects at different times of the year and in varying conditions.

I often prefer to shoot there when there is overcast or even in fog or rainy conditions. However, on this morning it was sunny! This poses a real challenge when shooting in the redwood groves, since the shaded areas can be quite dark but where a beam of light finds its way to the forest floor or hits plants or trees it can be extremely bright, creating some very wide dynamic range conditions. In order to capture this – and create a photograph that suggests the way I saw the scene at the time of the exposure – I often combine two (and sometimes more) exposures in order to deal with this, which is what I did in this photograph.

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.

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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

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Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunlight filtering through the canopy of the redwood forest back-lights overhead red alder leaves at Muir Woods National Monument.

I posted a black and white version of this photograph yesterday – and I still go back and forth on which I prefer. The luminescent green color of the backlit alder leaves against the pattern of the branches on which they grow is what first attracted me to this subject, but I like the more abstracted nature of the black and white version. I probably won’t be able to decide until I print the photographs… if I can even decide then!

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.

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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Textures

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

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Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunlight filtering through the canopy of the redwood forest back-lights overhead red alder leaves at Muir Woods National Monument.

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.

I made a black and white and a color version of this image – since I think I prefer the black and white version I’m posting it first.

This year I have been returning to Muir Woods in all seasons and, among other things, I’ve watched the red alder trees as they have gone through the cycle from the first spring leaves to the deterioration of the leaves as they begin to change color before dropping from the trees as winter approaches. In many places along the main trails at Muir Woods the path travels directly beneath a canopy of these trees and when the light comes through the trees, filtered by passing through the upper levels of the forest, it highlights the curving and twisting shapes of the branches.

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