Tag Archives: morning

Within The Grove

Within The Grove
“Within The Grove” — Autumn aspen leaves begin to glow in morning light as the sun clears a distant ridge.

This is one of those odd little spots that is likely on no one’s itinerary of important aspen color sites except mine. I first stopped here a couple of decades ago on the drive between some better known locations, and since that time I have paused here every season to photograph this little grove. This year I arrived just as the canopy was thinning and, on this morning, as the first direct sunlight began to flood the grove.

I encourage everyone who is an autumn aspen aficionado to find a few special little spots like this that have personal meaning, even though they may not initially seem spectacular. I can almost guarantee that over the succeeding years you will be glad you stopped and made such places your own… and that you’ll get a special feeling each time you return.


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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Aspen Leaves, Morning Frost

Aspen Leaves, Morning Frost
“Aspen Leaves, Morning Frost” — Fallen aspen leaves covered in morning frost, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

I had been photographing long views of colorful aspen groves on mountainsides as the sun came up. Photography in quickly-changing early morning light can be intense, and ideal conditions only last a short time. As the sun rose the light soon become too intense for the photographs I was interested in, so I went for a stroll along the base of a nearby rocky hill where it was still shady.

The hill produced the conditions that made this photograph possible. The most obvious was that the shaded light remained soft, revealing subtle elements in this little scene. Because direct sunlight had not yet arrived, the fallen leaves were still covered in frost. Morover, it is likely that the leaves collected here in the first place because the hill provided some protection from wind.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Meadow and Forest, Clearing Fog

Meadow and Forest, Clearing Fog
“Meadow and Forest, Clearing Fog” — Morning fog clears from a Sierra Nevada meadow and forest.

The atmospheric and light conditions were lovely on this July morning at Tuolumne Meadows, in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Shortly after sunrise hardly anyone was there, since the campground was still closed. If you have visited this place in the summertime, you know that such solitude is a rare and wonderful experience here.

It had rained the previous evening, so there was lots of residual moisture in the morning. As a result mist was rising from the meadow and river, and the atmosphere was almost opaque. (If you look closely you may able to just barely make out the slopes in the seemingly featureless area at upper left.)


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Utah Morning Sky

Utah Morning Sky
“Utah Morning Sky” — A cloud-filled dawn sky aboe Capitol Reef, National Park, Utah.

Back in 2014 a friend and I met up at Capitol Reef National Park for a few days of photography. I was on a long trip, first shooting in Southern Utah alone before we joined up at Capitol Reef. (Afterward I met other friends at Grand Staircase-Escalante, made a quick visit to Boulder, and eventually joined my family at Zion.) I made this photograph early in the morning on the day we headed into the back country along Notom Bullfrog Road.

Although my main goals were further down this backcountry road, soon after we turned onto it the sun rose and the early morning light illuminated a beautiful cloud-filled sky. We had no choice but to stop! We quickly found a high location with a panoramic view and set up to photograph this marvelous sky and light.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.