Yosemite Cliffs, New Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud-filtered light passes over granite cliffs dusted by snow

This photograph came as a bit of a surprise. It had been cold and cloudy, and much of the light was rather flat underneath overcast. I had photographed through the afternoon, often finding moments of fine light, but as the day wound toward sunset the clouds thickened and obscured much of the earlier light. Running out of ideas — except for some that I was holding for a bit later — I ended up at an accessible location and, much to my surprise, some like appeared. Moments earlier this bit of cliff face had been entirely in shadow, but then a break in the clouds moved past and illuminated it.

There is a notion that landscape photography is always a slow and contemplative exercise. It certainly can be that, and I know I do spend a fair amount of time walking slowly, looking, thinking, and not necessarily making photographs until I find something — or it finds me. But as much as the landscape doesn’t move, the light and atmosphere often change quite quickly, and photographing it can be an exercise in timing. The timing takes the form of being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, something that you cannot control even though you can increase the odds, and then the timing of making photographs at the moments when light does its most interesting stuff. At these times if you turn away for a few seconds you may miss something entirely.

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 and Amazon.
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