Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Aspens in a Row

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Aspens in a Row
A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

Autumn Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of autumn aspens in evening light, Eastern Serra Nevada.

After years of photographing near her, this row of tall and straight aspens is almost an old friend. I visit every fall, trying to time my arrival for the best color — well into the colorful phase, but with most leaves still intact. I also time it for late in the day, when this canyon falls into shade and the light softens, revealing colors and shadow details that are lost in bright midday light.

This group of trees is a welcome exception to the typical Sierra patterns of aspen growth. In photographs from other parts of the American West you may see extensive groves of tall straight aspens extending into the distance. That sort of thing is extremely rare here. The trees are often much shorter and they are frequently twisted and bent. But occasionally, where the conditions are right, the Sierra manages to produce some of the tall and straight specimens… like those seen here.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Break in the Overcast

Image Leave a comment
Break in the Overcast
Late afternoon sunlight breaks through overcast to illuminate eastern Sierra aspen groves.

Break in the Overcast. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Late afternoon sunlight breaks through overcast to illuminate eastern Sierra aspen groves.

On this year’s early October visit to the Eastern Sierra I was surprised to find more color than expected here and at other familiar locations. The high elevation color is typically past its peak by this date, mid-elevation color is getting good, and lower trees are still mostly green. But this year felt different — it seemed like the higher trees sustained their colors while the lower trees were ahead of schedule, with the result that the color spanned a wide range of elevations.

Heading south after crossing Monitor Pass I passed by this familiar vista. I was surprised by the amount of color and the good condition of the trees, so I made a point of scheduling a return visit in the evening when the trees are usually backlit right before the sun drops behind the crest. However, clouds had entered the picture and the light was dull… until a few beautiful beams of light broke through the overcast shortly before sunset.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Evening, Aspen Grove

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Evening, Aspen Grove
Quiet light in a grove of autumn aspen trees in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Autumn Evening, Aspen Grove. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Quiet light in a grove of autumn aspen trees in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

These “evening”quiet light” aspen scenes really appeal to me. While the colors can be extremely intense in full daylight, especially when the trees are back-lit, the soft light lowers the contrast level and allows the details in the shadows to emerge and the leaf colors to be a bit more true. (We have to scale back the exposure quite a bit to avoid blowing out the red channel in digital photographs of colorful leaves in full sun.) The whole atmosphere changes at these times, too. It is often cool and quiet and still.

How to compose such photographs is an interesting question. To some extent, I work pretty subjectively in this regard, just looking at the scene and thinking about balance and primary subject and then doing a bit of quiet analysis and “edge patrol.” But “when I know, I know.” Here I was looking for the even spread of trunks across the scene, but I also like the little “mountain” of yellow leaves in the foreground… and the visually dissonant presence of the small, green conifer adds just a bit of tension.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin

Image Leave a comment
Aspen Forest Mono Basin
A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

I first encountered this aspen forest perhaps a decade ago while poking around in places other than the usual aspen locations. After a few visits I started to figure out the rhythms of the place and when the colors peak — which is not typically at quite the same time as in much of the Sierra. I’ve wanted to photograph the carpet of aspen trees here, but conditions were never quite right… until this morning of peak color with clouds softening the light and sky.

Many of these trees are small compared to the idealized tall, straight aspens that many have seen. But there are few places in California where as may grow so densely in uninterrupted groves. This must be a very old grove, as there are bare, dead snags mixed in among the living trees. Also unusual: the trees ascend to virtually the summit of this ridge.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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