Tag Archives: plants

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

Shoreline, Upper Young Lake, Sunset

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Shoreline, Upper Young Lake, Sunset

Shoreline, Upper Young Lake, Sunset. Yosemite National Park, California. July 29, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunset light on shoreline trees and rocks below rocky hillside above Upper Young Lake, Yosemite National Park.

This is another in the series of photographs I made on this late-July evening at Upper Young Lake, my favorite of the three in this string of Young Lakes in the Sierra Nevada back-country out of Tuolumne Meadows. This photograph was shot in the last moments before the sun, shining through a bit of smoke from a wildfire in the park, dropped below the rim of the high meadow holding the lake.

I probably could have stayed at this lake and photographed post-sunset light for another half hour beyond sunset. However, the thought of hiking in the dark down a mile-long trail that in places is more cross country than actual trail convinced me to pack up and leave shortly after this.

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

keywords: shoreline, upper, young, lake, tree, grove, forest, flora, grass, plants, flower, meadow, rock, boulder, talus, scree, cliff, bush, water, surface, reflection, ripple, pink, light, sunset, dusk, evening, yosemite, national park, california, usa, hike, backpack, wilderness, nature, landscape, sierra nevada, range, mountains, snow, stock, travel, scenic, stock, Pinus contorta, murrayana, lodgepole, pine, tamarack

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

Mule Deer, Tuolumne Meadows

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Mule Deer, Tuolumne Meadows

Mule Deer, Tuolumne Meadows. Yosemite National Park, California. July 9, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A mule deer grazing in the early evening light at Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California.

This California mule deer was conveniently grazing among the new wildflowers in this green meadow right next to the Tuolumne River bridge between the Tuolumne Campground and the Lembert Dome parking lot. How could I resist stopping and grabbing a few shots! When I arrived I first noticed another photographer working very close to the deer in the meadow, so I decided to shoot from the roadside rather than joining the other shooter – I didn’t want to be responsible for scaring the critter off and ruining his opportunity and mine. Eventually he retreated to a spot next to the bridge and the roadway so I slowly worked my way into a position that I thought might place some interesting light from the low sun on the deer. Most of the time the hungry deer kept its snout buried deep in the meadow plants, but every so often it would stand erect and look (and listen!) around, at which point I could squeeze off a few shots.

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

keywords: deer, mammal, wildlife, animal, nature, fur, ears, graze, evening, tuolumne, meadows, yosemite, national park, california, usa, grass, plants, face, heard, upright, alert, travel, mountains, sierra nevada, range, mule, Odocoileus hemionus

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

Spring Pond, Tuolumne Meadows

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Spring Pond, Tuolumne Meadows

Spring Pond, Tuolumne Meadows. Yosemite National Park, California. July 10, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon light on a small runoff pond at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows with impressive clouds in the distance, Yosemite National Park, California.

If you have ever been to Tuolumne Meadows – or at least spent a few moments wandering about there – you probably know this little pond. It is right alongside the road where the John Muir Trail crosses on its way across the Meadows to Parsons Lodge, the old Sierra Club facility on the far side of the meadow by Soda Springs. It is a frequently-photographed feature of the meadow, though often it is used as a foreground for photographs of Lembert Dome. This photograph looks a bit fore towards the north or northwest towards Ragged Peak and the north boundary country of the park.

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

keywords: tuolumne, meadows, spring, summer, green, golden, grass, pool, pond, water, surface, blue, reflection, sky, clouds, plants, rocks, trees, forest, ridge, mountain, hill, ragged, peak, boulder, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, yosemite, national park, california, usa, high, sierra, nevada, range, lenticular, gray, stock

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

Twilight, Tuolumne River and Tuolumne Meadows, Sierra Crest

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Twilight, Tuolumne River and Tuolumne Meadows, Sierra Crest

Twilight, Tuolumne River and Tuolumne Meadows, Sierra Crest. Yosemite National Park, California. July 10, 2009. © Copyright G DanMitchell – all rights reserved.

Light from lenticular cloud-filled twilight sky illuminates Tuolumne Meadows and the Tuolumne River with Lembert Dome, Mount Dana, and Mount Gibbs beyond, Yosemite National Park, California.

Yes, one more in the series – perhaps the final one, but we’ll see. I suppose it could be titled, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” After the astonishing colors of the brightest moments of the sunset fade, one might think that the show is over – but frequently it isn’t over yet.

I remember the time I first learned that when shooting evening scenes like this one should never leave until it is too dark to photograph any more! This “lesson” happened a bit further west in Tuolumne Meadows some years ago. I was photographing in the evening, shooting across the transitory early-season lake that forms there in wet years. Another photographer was nearby shooting the same beautiful evening, and I remember him remarking that some of his favorite photographs actually came after the intense light of sunset and during the time when the light almost begins to feel more like night than day. Two wonderful things can happen at this hour. First, you can still get some very unexpected color surprises even after the show seems to be over. (I learned this a second time a few years later after packing up at the summit of Lembert Dome and heading down – only to be surprised by a wonderful and completely unexpected suffusion of beautiful light, and having to quickly unpack and squeeze off a couple shots.) Second, as astonishing as the brilliant colors are that precede this darker time, this is the hour for some very wonderful deep and subtle colors that you just won’t see at any other time of day.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more. Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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.