Tag Archives: mountains

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Blue Stone

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Blue Stone
Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

Blue Stone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

At some point on almost any backcountry trip I end up spending time looking at things that I might not notice and photograph at first. The initial focus is often the grand landscape of mountains and valleys and trees and rivers — but eventually I focus on the more “intimate” aspects of the landscape. Among these are the infinitely varied patterns and colors of rock, miniature landscapes of textures and fractures and more.

While walking back and forth between our camp and a nearby high point from which I photographed the larger landscape I had noticed several bands of interesting rock and made a mental note to return to them. A few days into our stay that moment arrived and I spent a few hours wandering slowly through this area, looking intently and finding more to photograph than I had initially seen. The intense color of these rocks is partially due to their innate blue tint and partly due to photographing them when they were in shadows.

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: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #2

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New England Woods #2
Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

New England Woods #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

We spent most of the last two weeks of August on the East Coast of the United States, first in New York City and then with the extended family at a lodge in southwestern Vermont. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my East Coast experience has been almost entirely limited to Florida and New York — plus, of course, the inevitable trips between Manhattan and the Newark-Liberty Airport. Friends have told me that I must see New England, especially in autumn, and I’ve always thought it sounded interesting… but I had just never made it there before. Part of this, of course, is due to my landscape “regionalism,” otherwise known as my love of the lands of the America West.

I can’t say that I’ve quite “gotten” the New England landscape after one week spent there, but I most certainly can say that I’m intrigued and want to go back. For this near-native Californian, whose summer “normal” is golden-brown dryness, the lush and dense greenery of Vermont was a revelation. I understand they are having a drought there, but if that is what qualifies for drought in New England, count me in. (I know that this is a serious matter, but you get my drift, right?) I made this photograph on a walk up a gravel road from the lodge where we spent the week.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Young Trees, Boulders, and Stream

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Young Trees, Boulders, and Stream
A silt-choked stream flows past angular boulders and young trees in morning light, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Young Trees, Boulders, and Stream. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A silt-choked stream flows past angular boulders and young trees in morning light, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Below our camp was a flat area around which flowed a river draining the alpine basins to our west. The stream flowed along the edge of the area where the rocky slopes rose toward higher ridges. Boulders were everywhere in this terrain, likely due to the effects of both flowing water and deposits of material from ancient glacial moraines.

We were quite attentive to this stream. Crossing it had been a challenge when we first arrived, and after heavy rains the water had risen and some of the boulders we had hopped across had been moved. (You can see in the photograph that the stream was still full of silt.) On this sunny morning I made a slow loop along the stream and photographed trees and boulders along its course as the morning sun began to arrive.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Ridge, Fog, Sunset

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Ridge, Fog, Sunset
Post-storm fog drifts among trees and domes at sunset, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Ridge, Fog, Sunset. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Post-storm fog drifts among trees and domes at sunset, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

The clouds finally began to break up “for real” late on the second day of our recent Sierra Nevada backcountry stay. First the rain stopped, then we began to see a few thin spots in the clouds, and eventually faint areas of blue sky appeared above the peaks through a veil of mist. After more than twenty-four hours of rain, we were ready to head out and make some photographs!

I did not know what the evening would bring so I decided to walk to a high spot with a 360-degree view, from which I might photograph a range of subjects. As the clearing continued, clouds of fog rolled back and forth among the nearby ridges and through the forest. One moment I’d photograph mist in trees, and the next I would turn and photograph light breaking through among the peaks. This scene unfolded to my east as sunset light began to color the fog and clouds over lower ridges.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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