Tag Archives: nevada

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dogwood Flowers, Sunset Light

May 14, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The flower-laden branches of a dogwood tree hang above the Merced River in sunset light

In the evening we had pulled off the road near the place sometimes called “Gates of the Valley” (and occasionally by other names), but I was not especially interested in photographing the famous and iconic scene that many stop there to photograph. I wouldn’t rule out photographing it, but it would have to be an exceptional evening to warrant adding my contribution to the uncounted photographs that have been made of the Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall, and El Capitan from this spot. We stopped for dogwoods.

I have photographed the dogwood blossoms in this area plenty of times in the past, and at the right time there can be a lot of flowers here. This was one of those right times, since it seemed like an exceptional spring for production of dogwood blossoms. Initially I had my eyes on some trees on the north side of the road, but first I thought I’d wander east a bit. That turned out be a good direction to walk for several reasons – I unexpectedly ran into friends who were also photographing here, and I found one beautiful tree that was hanging its blooms out over the waters of the Merced River. I then headed back to the west, stopping to talk to other folks (it seemed like everyone was out photographing dogwoods on this evening!) and then continuing on past the pull-out, stopping along the way to make more photographs of dogwoods and the forest in evening light. Before long I ended up at a well-known bridge over the Merced – where, yes, I ran into more friends! When I got there I almost felt like I was ready to call it an evening, but then I saw the low angle near-sunset light coming up the river and recalled a bunch of flowers I had seen there earlier in the day. I thought it might be interesting to shoot almost straight into that light and use a long lens to “get close” to the flowers and to throw the background along the river out of focus. The result is a dogwood flower photograph this is a bit different from most that I shoot.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Granite and Trees, Morning

May 13, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 3 Comments

Morning light on granite slabs in the Yosemite high country.

These are the light, the rocks, the trees that bring me back to the Yosemite high country of the Sierra Nevada every year when Tioga Pass opens and which keep me coming back until the high country closes again in the fall. Tioga Pass opened for the season this past weekend, and that – plus the chance to see a show and visit with some friends in the Valley – was excuse for a quick visit. I try to go over the pass each season on the day it opens or shortly afterwards. For me, crossing that pass and starting down the road into Lee Vining Canyon marks the start of “summer,” even though the calendar still says it is spring.

Since the high country camp grounds are not open yet and the Forest Service camps east of the pass are also still closed, I ended up getting a last-minute camp site in Yosemite Valley. (This also provided the opportunities to attend the reception for John Sexton’s and Anne Larsen’s show at the Ansel Adams Gallery, to hear John’s wonderful talk about Ansel Adams that evening, and to get one last crack at photographing this year’s dogwood bloom.) On the first day I did little more than make an obligatory drive up toward the pass and see the familiar country. This was the second dry winter in a row in California, and there is very little snow for such an early date in the season. Perhaps because of this, there were far fewer people up there than on other recent opening days. On the second day I got up well before dawn and left my Yosemite Valley camp in darkness, driving up Tioga Pass road early enough to photograph in the May Lake (turnoff), Olmsted Point, and Tenaya Lake areas in early light. Here I found what I was looking for – sparse trees in the back-light from early morning sun, ridges of exfoliating granite, and a bit of hazy morning atmosphere. I suppose it might just be my first high-country photograph of the new season.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Evening Forest, Yosemite Valley

May 10, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early evening light filters through forest, Yosemite Valley, California.

I’m probably not alone in loving the early evening forest light, as the sun’s light filters horizontally between the trees just prior to dropping below the horizon or nearby ridges. As I wandered along looking for dogwood blooms, I passed a section where the forest thinned a bit beyond the nearest trees, and allowed a bit more light to hit the trees. I only had a few moments to make this photograph before the light ended.

This is one of many examples of how the light changes everything. In the middle of the day these trees would seem gray and the light would be harsh – dark shadows would make it very difficult to photograph in an interesting way. But here the light coming from behind the dogwood leaves and brush makes it glow, and the late-day warm color of the light turns those gray trees all sorts of interesting shades of brown.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dogwood Flowers, Merced River

May 8, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Flower-laden spring dogwood branches above the rushing water of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park.

It seems that everyone needs a photograph of white dogwood flowers and green leaves against the backdrop of the waters of the Merced River – and here is mine! I made this photograph on a one-day quick trip to the Valley timed to coincide with the peak of the dogwood blooms. This was a spectacular dogwood blossom season! I had heard reports of larger than usual numbers of the flowers, but I was still very surprised to see how thickly the flowers covered many, many trees. I’ve seen quite a few dogwood blooms in Yosemite Valley, and this had to rank among the most impressive.

The challenges of the “dogwood over water” photographs are several. The first it to find a branch hanging over or near the Merced. This isn’t as easy at is might seem. Such branches aren’t exactly everywhere along the banks of the river, and in many places the flowers face away from the bank – not such an appealing image – or might appear against water that is too rough and provides a distracting background. Often dogwood flowers that catch your attention with their start white shapes turn out to be less than pristine close up – they might have brown tips, holds in the petals, or be discolored – and it can take a bit of looking to find some that are in great shape. Ideally there will be something high above the opposite bank the provides a bit of color to the water. Then there are the conflicting desires to use a long exposure to blur the water a bit while trying to capture a sharply delineated image of the flowers… which sit at the end of long, flexible branches that move in the slightest breeze! With patience, the breezes may eventually pause, and careful timing helps time the exposure between periods of motion.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: nevada

Dogwood Flowers, Sunset Light

Granite and Trees, Morning

Evening Forest, Yosemite Valley

Dogwood Flowers, Merced River

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.