Tag Archives: meadow

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

Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows #1

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Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows I
Autumn aspen groves, lengthening early evening shadows, and snow-dusted peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows #1. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Autumn aspen groves, lengthening early evening shadows, and snow-dusted peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

This is probably a familiar scene to Eastern Sierra aspen color hunters who poke around in harder-to-reach areas. I had been traveling through this high terrain, where one crosses the boundary between aspen country and conifer forests. It was late in the day, and soon the long shadows cast by peaks near the Sierra crest began to fall across the landscape.

I looked back and saw these sunlit groves… and the rapidly expanding and approaching shadow. I quickly set up and made a few exposures as the shadows began to mute the colors of some of the brilliantly yellow groves. Yet the foreground trees remained in the sunlight, glowing in its warm light.

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

Aspens, Living and Dead

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Aspens, Living and Dead
A dense grove of aspens including living and dead trees, east of the Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Living and Dead. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A dense grove of aspens including living and dead trees, east of the Sierra Nevada.

If you are familiar with Sierra Nevada aspens, some things about this grove will feel familiar, yet you might get the feeling that something is a bit different. Regarding the latter, you are correct — this grove is technically not in the Sierra Nevada. It is in a range of mountains not too far to the east of the range, where the drier climate contributes to both the “sagebrush country” appearance and the twisted and often stunted trees.

We visited this general area early one October morning, planning to photograph from a point providing an unobstructed view of a fascinating section of the Sierra crest. After photographing that scene around sunrise, we turned our attention to this nearby subject, working quickly to make pictures before the intense direct sunlight arrived. Note the mixture of very colorful small trees and older snags.

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, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Meadow, Drifting Smoke

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Autumn Meadow, Drifting Smoke
Light beams pass through drifting smoke to illuminate autumn trees, Yosemite Valley.

Autumn Meadow, Drifting Smoke. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Light beams pass through drifting smoke to illuminate autumn trees, Yosemite Valley.

This was just about my first photograph on a November 1 fall color visit to Yosemite Valley. I drove up very early in the morning, departing hours before sunrise so I could be there for early light. At first I was disappointed to find a managed fire in the valley — it filled the west end with thick smoke and produced some haze almost everywhere. For a moment I contemplated driving back out of the Valley and photographing in lower, clearer country. But as I drove a short Valley loop I found that the smoke was producing dramatic effects in some places.

In the end, most photographs I made on this visit involved that haze, which varied from barely visible up to smoke that choked the lungs and burned the eyes. Here the smoke was fairly thick, though it did not spread too far, and even thought there was a lot of smoke among the trees the air was relatively clear where I set up. As I made this photograph the rising sun was still low in the sky, and the interplay of light and shadow formed angled light beams.

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 | Twitter | 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.

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

Black Oak Trees, Morning Haze

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Black Oak Trees, Morning Haze
Haze from a managed burn drifts among black oak trees in morning light, Yosemite Valley.

Black Oak Trees, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Haze from a managed burn drifts among black oak trees in morning light, Yosemite Valley.

During my November 1 fall color foray to Yosemite Valley, I ended up spending a lot of time photographing these black oaks. In addition to providing the expected fall color, smoke from a nearby managed fire drifted in and out, varying from quite thick to just enough to add some atmosphere. The haze made the light more visible, sometimes producing light beams among the silhouetted trees.

For this composition I decided to use the dark shapes of closer trees to frame more brightly lit trees out in the meadow. On a technical note, managing the extreme dynamic range between the highlights of backlit leaves and the deep shadows in the foreground and near the sides was a challenge. As always, the trick was to try to get enough shadow detail to work with in post while avoiding blown out highlights.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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