Tag Archives: mountains

Aspens and Conifers, Autumn

Aspens and Conifers, Autumn
“Aspens and Conifers, Autumn” — A small stand of conifers surrounded by scrub aspen in autumn colors, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

In our search for the biggest, most spectacular aspen trees and the biggest and most expansive groves, we sometimes overlook these smaller “scrub aspen” trees. At least I do. But often they are just as colorful as the bigger trees, and they can be quite fascinating when draped across the right kinds of terrain. Their color is every bit as vibrant as that of the bigger trees, and sometimes they are the earliest to turn fall colors. I have even photographed them in September, the month before the main October peak of color.

The trees in this photograph might not be all that impressive up close. They are, after all, quite small — probably no taller than you are. But from a distance they form a more unified subject, a sort of blanket of color lying across this gentle landscape and surrounding a small group of conifers in early evening light.


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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Mono Lake, Evening

Black Point, Mono Lake, Evening
“Black Point, Mono Lake, Evening” — Evening clouds above Mono Lake and Black Point.

I made this photograph on an autumn evening after incoming clouds had ended my aspen photography for the day. I decided to make a quick run down to the shoreline of Mono Lake to see if there might be any interesting dusk light. The conditions were a bit subtle, but I think that they are actually representative of what we’re likely to see at Mono in the evening when clouds over the Great Basin dissipate and the lake is in shadow.

This particular bit of shoreline has long intrigued me. (I’m not the only one!) In many places along its edge we look straight out at the immensity of this lake, but in this spot we instead have a view along the shoreline, past bays and Black Point, toward volcanic islands and then desert mountains in the far distance.


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

Evening Aspens

Evening Aspens
“Evening Aspens” — Beams of early evening light on Eastern Sierra aspen groves.

As I photographed here in the late afternoon I was keeping an eye on the sun as it descended toward clouds and the Sierra crest to the west. These trees are beautifully back-lit by late afternoon sun, but it looked like that light source might disappear early behind the clouds. As it turned out, the partially blocked light created an unusual and dramatic effect as beams of light highlighted trees against the darker background.

I think that we like to flatter ourselves about our ability to find and take advantage of subjects and great light. We put a lot of effort into searching out visually interesting locations (a worthwhile endeavor!) and then being there when the light is likely to be ideal. But in the end we are, to a great extent, at the mercy of conditions. Sometimes that is a problem, but on evenings like this one the light gods send us an occasional gift.


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 | PostEmail

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.

Mono Lake, Before Dawn

Mono Lake, Before Dawn
“Mono Lake, Before Dawn” — Colorful pre-dawn clouds over Mono Lake.

This photograph may look very similar to a previously shared Mono Lake photo — both feature the reflecting surface of the lake and a colorful sky. But they are quite different images, photographed from very different places and at different times of the day. The other one was from an evening when afternoon thunderstorm clouds were dissipating. This one is from just before dawn on a hazy morning with high clouds illuminated by the colorful pre-dawn sky.

While that previous photograph was made right on the shoreline of the lake, this one used a more distant camera position. I had headed up into the Eastern Sierra foothills to search for aspen color, and I was exploring some less-used gravel backroads. This higher perspective allowed me to include more of the lake. (It is hard to see, but it extends far beyond the nearer portion that reflects the colorful sky.).


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 | PostEmail

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)


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