Tag Archives: meadow

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

Pond, Forest, and Fog

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Pond, Forest, and Fog
“Pond, Forest, and Fog” — Fog rising from a subalpine pond drifts through pine forest, Yosemite.

This is one of several photographs I made in this area on the morning after a significant storm moved through the Yosemite high country. It rained for hours and made photography virtually impossible. But it also primed conditions for beautiful morning fog the next day, so I was up very early and out looking for it before sunrise.

Before long I passed a small lake that I’ve known about for decades but rarely photographed. This time the scene was sublime — fog was rising from the surface of the little lake and slowly drifting into the forest. The early morning light (from the now-clear sky) illuminated the scene, but there was no direct sun to overwhelm it. I began photographing, walking slowly along the shoreline and into the forest, eventually tearing myself away in order to seek out some other subjects.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Fog at Forest’s Edge

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Fog at Forest Edge
“Fog at Forest’s Edge” — Morning fog drifts among forest trees after rain, Yosemite National Park.

There is enough of a story behind this photograph that I will eventually post an article about it in my “A Photograph Exposed” series. It involved an afternoon and evening of heavy rain, a subsequent morning of fog and mist, moisture-enhanced colors, and a subject that I have almost intentionally chosen not to photograph much at all for decades. It is, obviously, a scene where a forest meets a wet meadow, photographed on a morning when fog drifted from that meadow and through the trees.

I was up early — likely around 4:00AM — since I suspected that there might be fog and mist on this morning after heavy rain. As I drove over a pass to get here there were piles of hail everywhere from the previous evening’s storm. Soon I came to a familiar small lake — the one that I almost never photograph — and I saw fog rising from the lake and drifting into the 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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Meadow, Storm Clouds

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Meadow, Storm Clouds
“Meadow, Storm Clouds” — Sunlight in a meadow as storm clouds build near the Sierra Nevada crest, Hoover Wilderness

After an absence from the Sierra during some 2023 international travel, I was anxious to get back up there again. Shortly after our return I headed to the mountains for a few days of high country camping and photography. By then it was late in the season and the first hints of cold-season weather fronts were arriving — there was “interesting weather” during much of my visit.

I made this photograph as I headed up a drainage in the Eastern Sierra along the western edge of Yosemite National Park. (The distant peaks mark the park’s boundary.) Clouds shrouded the peaks, and some light snow had fallen. The wind was blowing and cloud shadows moved rapidly across the landscape. I set up and waited, and made this photograph as light hit the meadows just in front of me and illuminated the distant ridge.

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, Photographs: Yosemite

Meadow and Autumn Trees

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Meadow and Autumn Trees
“Meadow and Autumn Trees” — Autumn trees and haze glowing in sunlight, Yosemite Valley.

Smoky conditions, a bit to my surprise, produced some really lovely light o this autumn day. I arrived in The Valley on a fall morning to find that managed fires were filling the air with smoke. After driving four hours to get there, starting way before sunrise, I cannot say that I was happy to arrive to this! However, after a moment I remembered that smoke has the potential to produce some lovely effects. I headed toward this meadow, attracted by its large black oak trees and the potential for backlight.

The smoke thinned a bit, but there was just enough left in the air to glow when the sun hit it, including the beam of light in this photograph that came through a gap in the upper canyon walls of Yosemite Valley. With that haze and the backlight the trees really glowed.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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