Tag Archives: nevada

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

Sierra Shoreline, Morning

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Sierra Shoreline, Morning
Reflections and soft morning light on on trees and boulders along the shoreline of a Yosemite wilderness lake.

Sierra Shoreline, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Reflections and soft morning light on on trees and boulders along the shoreline of a Yosemite wilderness lake.

This photograph brings back a bunch of wonderful and somewhat wistful memories. I made it on a weeklong wilderness trip with a group of photographers with whom I’ve been heading into the Sierra backcountry almost every summer for more than a decade. (The “wistful” part of the memories is largely because the pandemic has prevented us from getting together again this summer.) We typically spend that time exploring some beautiful Sierra location, base-camped long enough to really get to know the place. Every morning we emerge from tents in darkness and head out to photograph for hours. We return to camp in the middle of the morning with stories to tell and chores to take care of. Late in the afternoon we head out into the field again, photographing until the light fades and we return to camp in darkness. The we do the same thing the next day.

This trip took us to a beautiful little forested lake in the Yosemite backcountry, a place I had not visited previously even though I had been in the general area quite a few times. The lake is up high, with expansive views from nearby ridges, and surrounded by forest. On most mornings I did a slow circuit around the lake as the light arrived. This lovely section of shoreline was more or less on the opposite side from our camp, and after photographing it more than once I figured out the light well enough that I was able to photograph it in the soft morning light just before the sun arrived, when the water was still smooth.

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

Aspens and Boulders, Autumn

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Aspens and Boulders, Autumn
An intimate scene of small autumn-colored aspen trees and boulders, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens and Boulders, Autumn. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An intimate scene of small autumn-colored aspen trees and boulders, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

When it comes to Sierra Nevada photographic subjects, I’m probably as susceptible as anyone to the lure of the big landscape — after all, the scale of these mountains is part of what we find so impressive. But I make fewer photographs of those large subjects and far more of odd little bits and pieces that suggest the feelings of the place to me. Many memorable moments in these mountains involve these anonymous places that others might not even stop to photograph. I’m always on the lookout for them, and they form the framework of my history with the range.

As we approach the Eastern Sierra fall color season, scenes from that part of the range are on my mind again. While there are aspens west of the crest, the largest and (to my mind) most impressive examples are on the east side. The color should already have begun, and by the beginning of October the transition will accelerate and spread across the range. For a few weeks the color spreads across the groves, gradually working its way south and to lower elevations before it ends late in the month, setting the stage for the arrival of winter.

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: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Lake Islands, Morning

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Mono Lake Islands, Morning
Morning light and haze on Negit and Paoho Islands, Mono Lake and Mono Basin.

Mono Lake Islands, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light and haze on Negit and Paoho Islands, Mono Lake and Mono Basin.

There are many ways to look at Mono Lake, and a seemingly infinite number of viewpoints to use to take those looks. Many of the most common spots are along the western shoreline, not far from US 395. Not far behind are some of the better known tufa formations. But this is a huge lake and its visual presence is part of the experience throughout the Mono Basin and nearby portions of the Eastern Sierra. Wander about this greater landscape a bit and you’ll inevitably find new and often surprising ways to see the lake and its two volcanic islands.

Since there are so many vista points, the specific identity of any one of them seems somewhat beside the point. In this case I was in a high, quiet, and pleasantly lonely area along the eastern front of the Sierra very early in the morning, which gave me a higher perspective and let me clearly see the major mountains beyond the lake to the east. As the photograph was made in autumn, the typical haze in the atmosphere muted the details of the distant mountains.

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

Autumn Brush and Trees, Eastern Sierra

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Autumn Brush and Trees, Eastern Sierra
Brush and trees begin to take on autumn colors along the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Autumn Brush and Trees, Eastern Sierra. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brush and trees begin to take on autumn colors along the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada.

My first memories of Sierra Nevada aspen trees could not be more different than what we see in this photograph. Those early experiences came on backpacking trips when trails briefly traversed small groves. I’m thinking of several of them as I write this — a small section along a trail to Cathedral Lakes, arriving at such groves when descending from the crest on the east side, various other backcountry locations. I always associated them with the “High Sierra,” the high elevation, forested wilderness that lies below the exposed high peaks.

It was much later that my perception evolved and encompassed the recognition that these trees can be part of what is essentially a high desert terrain just as easily. I recall a drive east of US 395 into such an area a few decades ago on which I was surprised to find groves of aspens surrounded by rangeland and no other trees. I soon became aware of what had always been there but which I had not noticed — small groups of such trees all along and near the base of the eastern Sierra. This small grove, along with a bunch of shorter brush, grows in a small creek bed passing through an area that is otherwise profoundly dry and seemingly barren.

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 | 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.