Tag Archives: pastel

Subalpine Meadow, Evening – Evelyn Lake

Subalpine Meadow, Evening - Evelyn Lake

Subalpine Meadow, Evening – Evelyn Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late summer evening light in a subalpine meadow near Evelyn Lake in the Yosemite National Park back-country.

I’m pretty certain that my favorite time of year in the Sierra starts right about when this photograph was made – early September right after the Labor Day Holiday. I’m also certain that my favorite terrain – I call in “my Sierra” – is this sort of open timberline country with a mixture of subalpine meadow, stunted forest, and open views of surrounding higher terrain.

On this day I had come up to Evelyn Lake – located very near the Vogelsang High Sierra camp – from Lyell Canyon. After a late arrival at my Lyell Canyon camp the night before and the rather stiff morning climb up the Ireland Lake trail, I arrived here feeling pretty tired. I pretty much set up my bivy sack camp and took a big nap! Later in the day as evening approached I came back to life and decided to make a few photographs. This photograph of the meadow and a bit of a meandering stream in the meadow was made within a few yards of my campsite on the shoreline of the lake.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: stream, creek, meander, meadow, grass, plant, foliage, flora, rock, boulder, tree, forest, sub, alpine, tundra, ridge, rocky, sky, blue, cloud, cloud, pastel, sunset, evening, dusk, light, evelyn, lake, back, country, backpack, trail, hike, camp, nature, landscape, travel, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, stock

Folds and Gullies, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Gullies, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Gullies, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pastel colors of folds and gullies at Zabriskie Point in early morning light, Death Valley National Park, California.

Another in my 2008 series of photographs of the tortuously folded formations below Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park. The colors in this photograph are more muted than in some of the others, partially due to the early light but also due to (if I recall correctly) a bit of high overcast. And, to be frank, photographers often boot the contrast and saturation quite a bit in their photographs of this area – so I thought I’d try a natural approach here that shows the pastel shades.

keywords: zabriskie, point, folds, gullies, abstract, shape, morning, early, light, shadow, pastel, death valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, scenic, travel, stock, desert, barren

Dogwood Tree, Autumn – Yosemite Valley

Dogwood Tree, Autumn - Yosemite Valley

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

A Yosemite Valley dogwood tree takes on pastel autumn colors.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I shot this dogwood from Northside Drive in the Valley – that’s right, just pulled the car off the road, set up the tripod, and made a photograph. I had been looking for autumn dogwood trees that were set against a darker forest background and while I had found thick groves of dogwoods elsewhere, this was the best one I saw that stood apart.

keywords: dogwood, tree, leaves, leaf, autumn, fall, season, forest, pastel, color, green, pink, yellow, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, nature, foliage, travel, scenic, stock, sierra, nevada, mountains