Tag Archives: mountains

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Water Over Stones

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Water Over Stones
“Water Over Stones” — The waters of a Sierra Nevada creek flow over stones.

Every landscape photographer I know is easily distracted by flowing water. Our “thing” might be large-scale landscapes, trees, rocks, you name it. But during slow moments we’ll point our cameras down or across the nearest flowing water and see what we can do with this subject. It provides a lot of opportunities. Long exposures can turn flowing water into cloudy veils. Reflections introduce symmetry and/or colors. And, as in this photograph, the water diffuses and smooths features beneath its flow.

I was actually lucky to find such clear water on this backcountry trip. Right after we arrived at our basecamp the heavens opened up and it rained heavily for the next twenty-four hours. When we finally crawled out of our tents the day after it began, we found a nearby lake muddy with sediments washed down these creeks. But before long the sediments decreased and I found this clear creek.

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: New England

New Hampshire Hills, Autumn

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New Hampshire Hills, Autumn
“New Hampshire Hills, Autumn” — An autumn view across hazy New England hills in New Hampshire.

If I recall correctly, this was our first morning out and about on the Kancamagus Parkway, that popular fall color route in New Hampshire. We had driven over it late previous day when we arrived to check into a hotel, but there had been little time to stop and photograph. So the next morning we got up early and headed back up into the hills to start photography.

This is perhaps not the most colorful New England autumn photograph. In fact, I think it might be a bit more like my California landscape photographs in some ways. The colors are there, but they are muted by the early morning atmosphere and light. The photograph looks across a series of ridges and into the far distance where morning clouds have not yet lifted.

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Rock and Ice

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Rock and Ice
“Rock and Ice” — A permanent ice field and rugged alpine terrain in the Sierra Nevada.

This is a classic example of alpine Sierra Nevada terrain. At the very bottom is a bit of alpine meadow, located right at the upper edge of the local tree line. Above that we see large expanses of glaciated granite with rounded and smoothed forms that are now cracked and broken by erosion. Still higher, a permanent ice field (one of a diminishing number of them) nestles in a bowl eroded by its glacial ancestor. The ice field sits at the base of very steep and rugged slopes that rise to unseen peaks.

One result of spending a lot of time in the higher reaches of the Sierra Nevada is that it is easy to forget how exotic such landscapes look to those who don’t visit them. To them, this terrain might seem forbidding and out of reach. But the reality is that once you reach this elevation, the land opens up and you can go almost anywhere without trails, limited only by your imagination and you ability to find routes and navigate.

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Blue Stone Vortex

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Blue Stone Vortex
“Blue Stone Vortex” — Curving and intersecting fractures in Sierra Nevada rock under stormy skies.

While I’m often drawn to the large scale landscapes, intimate landscapes appeal to me, too. The big photos do give the grand perspective of the landscape, but I think that images of smaller elements and components of the larger scene can tell us just as much about a place. And their sometimes-abstract nature lets us see the landscape in new ways that we perhaps had not thought of.

The grand landscape was not cooperating when I I photographed these rocks. It had been raining and it was still very cloudy. Are the rocks really this color? That’s a good question! The landscape looks different under various sorts of light, and often our vision system “corrects” for this and we do not notice it. I knew that the overcast was having an effect, but until I opened this photograph (and others made at the same time) in post, I had not realized just how blue the light was. Sometimes I “correct” these strong colors, but this time I decided to go with it.

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.