Tag Archives: mountains

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.

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

Forest, Cliffs, and Snow

February 28, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A snowy forest leads into the mountains between cliffs and spires

The iconic features of Yosemite Valley are famous with good reason, and they continue to impress even after many visits. But over time you discover that these are not the only things to be found here, and that in almost any direction you look it is possible to find something interesting, beautiful, or even stunning.

Winter conditions change everything. In places where it will be warm in a few months and people might float past on the river, during the cold season the view can sometimes take on an arctic or alpine character. I like searching for and photographing little vignettes in the landscape, subjects that only become visible when I pause and take the time to look at the familiar landscape more closely. I used a long lens to photographed this little scene of a snow filled gully between two rocky prominences, leading upward toward higher snow slopes.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cedar Breaks, Evening

February 24, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Soft evening light on the formations of Cedar Breaks National Monument

This was only my second photography trip to Utah — the first had been not long before this when we visited in spring. (When I was very young, my family used to drive through Utah on trips between California and the Midwest, but I was hardly aware of the landscape.) This time we aimed for autumn, leaving the eastern Sierra at the beginning of October and heading across Nevada (not the usual route!) to western Utah and staying near Cedar Breaks National Monument for a few days at the start of our visit.

I did not know much about Cedar Breaks, and one thing that surprised me was the abrupt break between the wildly colorful and sculpted pink rock of the canyon and the flat and relatively plain high country to the east. A road travels along this boundary, and it took me a while to figure out how to photograph the area — the high flatlands seemed plain and the canyon dropped away into the western light. But that light from the west turned out to be the key. Near the end of our visit we were along the southern edge of the chasm late in the day when high, thin clouds softened that light from the west, and from here, rather than photographing straight into it, I could focus on the textures and colors made visible by the light sweeping across from the left.

As you consider this beautiful scene, also consider that such areas in Utah are currently threatened by radical anti-environmental Utah politicians who seem hell-bent on giving away our shared public lands to special interest extraction industries. It is simply astonishing that people who live in a place of such beauty could be so blind to it. Consider supporting the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in their work to defend these treasures.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: mountains

Trees, Morning Light

Light on Granite Slabs

Forest, Cliffs, and Snow

Cedar Breaks, Evening

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