Tag Archives: morning

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Dense Brush, Morning Light

March 25, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning light falls on dense brush at Pinnacles National Park

Today’s photograph is another from my recent re-introduction to Pinnacles National Park in the mountains to the east of California’s Salinas Valley, following a gap of decades since my last visit. Despite being a place that I regularly visited when I was much younger — back then I rode a bike there to camp, went there to rock climb, hiked the trails and caves — it had somehow slipped off my map of places to visit. For the past few years, since its conversion from National Monument to National Park status, I’ve been planning to finally return.

If your experience with National Parks is mainly with the big, iconic parks such as Yosemite or Yellowstone, this park is going to surprise you with its intimacy. It is a relatively small place, and even its primary visual feature, the High Peaks, doesn’t present a single, focused identifying image in the way that, say, Half Dome or Old Faithful do. It seems more the sort of park that is about subtle and small things and the overall experience of the place — mostly California chaparral terrain that can evoke a sense of near desert at times. I made this photograph earlier in the morning when I paused along a route through a canyon when I came upon dense, back-lit foliage.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Trees, Morning Light

March 21, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sunlight illuminates trees on a spring morning at Pinnacles National Park

On this first return visit to Pinnacles National Park in about three decades — the last time I visited the place it was still called Pinnacles National Monument — I approached from the west through the small Salinas Valley town of Soledad, heading east into the low, grass-covered hills, ascending wooded valleys, and then passing through vineyard country where I had my first good views of the pinnacles. Until that point much of the drive did not bring back any memories, but that view was much as I remembered. I continued a bit further, passed the expected national park entrance sign, arrived at the kiosk, and went into the nearby ranger station to show my permit. This faculty seemed new to me, and it certainly had not been there years back when we simply drove up the end of the road and camped. This time I got back on the road and continued toward the end of the road.

One expects to simply ascend to the end of this road, but the route surprised me by descending into the valley where that old campground (now gone over twenty years) was once located. Along this descent the road passed by the beautiful California “impossible green” spring landscape of new grass, budding trees, and a few wildflowers. At one point the road turned to the right and descended, and in front of me was a high ridge with back-light flowing over its summit and striking the trees from behind. Those who know me know that I’m completely unable to resist back-lit trees, so I pulled over and paused to make a few photographs before continuing the short distance to the trailhead.

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

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

Light on Granite Slabs

March 8, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

First light reflects on smooth granite slabs, Yosemite Valley

These smooth slabs of granite are at the base of Glacier Point, wrapping around it and roughly following the contours of the Merced River’s path as it rises toward Vernal and Nevada Falls and the High Sierra far beyond. I love large expanses of smooth granite, but the curving quality of this stretch is special and different from most other cliff faces in the Valley.

I had looked at this face the previous morning but did not photograph it, so on this second morning I headed straight out to a spot where I thought I might get a clear view as the first light come over higher ridges to the east and flowed across the granite. We can regard this as an interpretation of the scene, as the granite is perhaps not this dark — but brilliant sunlight reflections, enhanced by snow patches and melting water, made portions of the scene incredibly bright.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Distant Sierra, Wetlands Dawn

February 13, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Seen from foggy Central Valley wetlands, dawn comes to the sky above the Sierra Nevada

Driving toward this spot in the pre-dawn hours I encountered the usual winter tule fog as soon as I left the main highway for the narrow back roads that criss-cross the agricultural lands. I figured that it would be a foggy morning out in the wetland with the birds once I got to my destination, but instead the fog thinned as I arrived and, to my surprise, I could see the pre-dawn sky. I stopped, quickly set up my camera for bird photography… and immediately began photographing landscapes!

A bit of thin fogged hugged the ground a ways off in the distance. (And later it would glide back in and cover this area to the point that visibility was near zero.) Above the fog, the ponds, and the scattered trees the silhouette of the Sierra crest stretched from north to south. When I looked closely, I could pick out familiar peaks along the distant skyline. A few birds — geese and cranes — began to fly over, and I made this photograph as the sky lit up just before sunrise.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: morning

Dense Brush, Morning Light

Trees, Morning Light

Light on Granite Slabs

Distant Sierra, Wetlands Dawn

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.