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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley

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Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Oak tree with orange foliage in a Yosemite Valley meadow as light rain falls.

This was shot in the rain in a meadow not too far from Sentinel Bridge, if I recall correctly. I liked the mist almost obscuring the cliffs in the distance, and like the fall color on the large tree – but I also like something that is perhaps not too easy to see on this small version, the more distant trees on the right sort of fading into the misty rain.

kewords: oak, tree, grove, meadow, grass, autumn, fall, color, yellow, gold, ridge, cliff, mist, fog, rain, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, scenic, landscape, travel, season, weather, wet, stock, nature

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Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley

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Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn - Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2. 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An oak tree with autumn color against a cliff face, Yosemite Valley, California.

I found two interesting trees to photograph against the north Yosemite Valley cliffs near Ahwahnee Meadow and the Ahwahnee Lodge on this rainy November day. (The other one was located only a few feet from this tree, and I posted the photo earlier at my blog.) The tree was in the final stages of losing its leaves and the cliff face was wet from two days of rain.

This photograph is, for me, another example of why it is good to return to the same place again… and again. I’ve photographed in this very area quite a few times, making photographs of Ahwahnee Meadow in just about every season, photographing a nearby oak grove on the edge of the meadow, and photographing dogwood trees in fall. Every other time I’ve been there I’ve looked back at the spot where this tree is located without seeing anything – but this time I think I got the timing right and found different lighting conditions that make it possible to see this shot that I had never noticed before.

keywords: oak, tree, bush, moss, lichen, green, yellow, gold, trunk, branch, gray, rock, boulder, nature, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, travel, scenic, stock, sierra, nevada, mountains, crack, diagonal

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point

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Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point

Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point. Yosemite Valley, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A fog shrouded arete on the cliffs of Yosemite Valley near Glacier Point.

This bit of fog shrouded cliff is on the south side of Yosemite Valley a bit west of Glacier Point. While I was busy shooting similar conditions across the Valley at upper Yosemite Falls I happened to look over my shoulder and see this ridge barely breaking through the light rain and fog on this rather wet November morning. For the most part the arete was completely obscured, but as the wind moved the clouds around the rocky face the rocks and trees of this bit of ridge emerged from time to time – so it was a matter of setting up a likely composition and then waiting for an interesting bit of rock and vegetation to appear.

keywords: cliff, face, arete, tree, ridge, mountain, fog, cloud, mist, glacier point, yosemite, valley, national park, obscure, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, atmosphere, weather, rain, sierra, nevada, california, usa, stock, black and white

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Oaks in Rain, El Capitan Meadow

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Autumn Oaks in Rain, El Capitan Meadow

Autumn Oaks in Rain, El Capitan Meadow. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brightly colored autumn oak trees in El Capitan Meadow with fog shrouded cliff face of Cathedral Rocks beyond – Yosemite Valley, California.

El Capitan Meadow, beneath the face of El Capitan and across the Valley from Cathedral Rocks (see in beyond the trees in this photo) is one of my favorite spots in the Valley. The meadow itself is beautiful in almost any season – green and lush in spring, colorful in fall, and sometimes snow covered in winter – and the backdrop formed by any of several large nearby rock faces is impressive. I shoot here every time I’m in the Valley – even last winter when I had to hike across this narrow section of the Valley in snow to get there.

In this early November photograph the trees are in full fall color and the meadow grasses and plants have gone dormant – and fog hugs the face of Cathedral Rocks in light rain.

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