Tag Archives: north

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Lake and Pinnacles, Evening

December 18, 2014 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Evening light reflects surrounding pinnacles in the surface of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake

This photograph takes me back to a long southern Sierra backpacking trip I took with friends back in 2010 — a trip from which I have recently shared a few other photographs. We entered the backcountry of Kings Canyon National Park from the east over one of the high Sierra crest passes, a few days later crossed another even higher pass to enter the upper Kern River drainage, spent a few days in a very remote portion of this area, and then exited back to the east over the crest by way of one of the more notorious east side passes — not the most notorious one, but definitely on the short list of awful passes… in a wonderful way. ;-)

The lake in this photograph was the site of our first night camp, after we came over that first pass and dropped to this beautiful sub-alpine valley with its lakes, meadows, rocks, and small trees. We settled in to this first camp… and into the familiar and welcome patterns of a long trip into the backcountry. These include camaraderie among friends who have shared many backpacking experiences, purposefully purposeless wandering around the wilderness neighborhood, sitting on rocks and staring, and watching the day transition to evening and then night.

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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Kolob Terraces Area, Sunset

December 17, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sunset on the valleys, ridges, and cliffs of the Kolob Terraces area of Zion National Park

The photographs in the series from which this image comes were my last of the day. We had explored this high and slightly less crowded area of Zion National Park in the afternoon (after exploring another less busy area in the morning) and started heading back down in the early evening. With red rock, fall colors (there were still a few aspens and other trees with autumn colors), open and well-lit terrain, and lots of beautiful red rock, there was plenty to see as the light color warmed.

We had just made a stop that I suspected would be the last of the day, pausing there to photograph evening light on a meadow. We loaded the equipment back up and started down the road, planning to head out, but we soon came around a bend and saw this wild and beautifully lit scene of valleys and cliffs and peaks laid out in front of us. We stopped right there and, if I recall correctly, I pretty much set up my camera and tripod right in the roadway, working quickly before the light disappeared completely from the lower slopes and the valley.

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

Granite Slabs, Forest, and Lake

December 17, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Granite slabs and forest trees reflected in the still surface of a subalpine lake, Yosemite National Park

This is the sort of beautiful and peaceful scene that greeted us each morning as we worked to photograph the area surrounding this subalpine lake in the Yosemite backcountry. Every morning the routine was: up before sunrise, grab the photography equipment and walk down to the lake, wander around looking carefully and critically for photographs… and enjoy the still quiet of the Sierra morning.

In visual terms the shoreline of such a lake is a very interesting and complex subject. On one hand, there are potential subjects everywhere. On the other, the complexity of the scene can be a challenge when it comes to finding compositions. The options include “thinking small” and isolating small elements within the overall scene, looking for juxtapositions and relationships that help bring some form to the details, or simply embracing the complexity. (Adding to the challenge, the dynamic range between the deep forest shade and the sunlit granite can be huge.) I think that this photograph perhaps combines a bit of the second option and a lot of the third. Every portion of the frame is filled with details, yet I think that in the end not all of them are equally important.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cliffs, Trees, and Morning Light

December 16, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The Kolob Canyon area of Zion National Park is less visited than the areas near Springdale, Utah. It is a significant drive away, and the park service has (wisely?) left it relatively undeveloped — a very small visitor center, no restaurants, just a road into a very beautiful area with a lot of trailheads.

We visited this area on a fall morning when the light was just coming over the tops of the tall cliffs to the east and backlighting some beautiful atmospheric haze. Photographing these juxtaposed rock faces and buttresses with a long lens, not only was distance telescoped but the haze softened the scene even more than it otherwise might and muted the colors a bit. There is a lot of small detail in this scene, but most of it is suppressed, with the exception of the thin edges of light on the rock and the backlit trees.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: north

Lake and Pinnacles, Evening

Kolob Terraces Area, Sunset

Granite Slabs, Forest, and Lake

Cliffs, Trees, and Morning Light

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