Tag Archives: pond

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Cattails, Morning Light

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Cattails, Morning Light

Cattails, Morning Light. Calero Hills, California. August 14, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Summer cattails in morning light at Castillero Pond, Calero Hills, California.

OK, this time no alpine scene from high meadows near the crest of the Sierra – instead a cattail growing along the bank of a small pond perhaps ten miles from my home at a place where I frequently hike. This morning I decided to get up early and head out here with no particular photographic goal in mind. When I arrived at the pond I thought I might photograph some birds – in fact, I just missed photographing my local egret, which flew away just as I was getting out my camera. So, instead of photographing the birds – and instead of continuing on for a longer morning hike – I spent more than an hour here photographing the cattails and patterns of summer grasses in the morning light.

Yesterday I visited SF MOMA to see two photographic shows – the photographs of Richard Avedon in one and the photographs of Ansel Adams and paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe in the other. As I looked at the out of focuse patterns of grasses, such as those in the background of this photograph, I thought about the colors and patterns of the O’Keeffe paintings.

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.

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keywords: calero, hills, santa clara, county, park, morning, summer, grass, flora, pond, castillero, plant, nature, california, usa, light, blue, gold, brown, yellow, green, bokeh, stalk, seed, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Unnamed Pond Near Blue Lake

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Unnamed Pond Near Blue Lake

Unnamed Pond Near Blue Lake. Sabrina Basin, John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada, California. August 6, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small pond among rocks and forest on the trail above Blue Lake, John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada.

This scene falls, I think, into the category of “typical Sierra Nevada scene.” Anyone who has backpacked into the higher portions of the range has walked past and perhaps stopped at many little ponds like this one. It is in a glacier-formed granite landscape of shallow soil, exposed smooth rock formations, and many rocks and boulders left behind by the glacier. Lush grasses grow around the pond for a few short weeks every summer and the peaks of the Sierra crest are just visible though the taller trees.

This small pond is along the trail between Blue Lake and Dingleberry Lake, not far from Blue Lake. The trail crosses the outlet stream and the skirts the far shore before heading on to higher terrain.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

keywords: blue, lake, pond, rock, boulder, flora, grass, meadow, log, tree, forest, grove, rocky, bush, shrub, shallow, runoff, seasonal, shore, bottom, reflection, morraine, glacial, mountain, ridge, sierra, nevada, crest, mount, haeckel, john, muir, wilderness, area, sabrina, lake, basin, trail, high, california, usa, blue, sky, clouds, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, nature, hike, backpack, camp, lodgepole, tamarack, pine, snow

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

Tarn and Forest, Tioga Pass Road

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Tarn and Forest, Tioga Pass Road

Tarn and Forest, Tioga Pass Road. Yosemite National Park, California. June 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rocks and their reflections in the still water of an early season meltwater tarn in the high elevation forest along Tioga Pass Road, Yosemite National Park.

I’ve driven past this small seasonal pond alongside Tioga Pass Road many times, and I’ve stopped on occasion. It tends to be a tough subject for me. Either I’m there at the wrong time of day or later in the season when the pond completely dries up. However, the interesting rocks and boulders set in the tarn and the background forest keep drawing me back, and I always cast a glance at it as I drive this road.

It was midday when I passed by on this early June day. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a group of deer at the far side of the pond, feeding on new grasses against the background of the forest. It took me a moment to find a place to pull over and park, attach my longest lens, put the whole mess on the tripod, grab my pack, and walk back to the tarn. I managed to get everything set up and a nice composition including the deer set up… when they left. Ah, well! I decided to stick around a bit and see what else I could find even though it was midday and the light was somewhat tough.

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: tarn, pond, pool, melt, water, runoff, seasonal, spring, forest, tree, grass, plant, flora, rock, boulder, submerged, reflection, still, smooth, tioga, pass, road, tuolumne, meadows, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, sierra, nevada, range, mountains, landscape, travel, scenic, nature, stock

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

Meltwater Pond and Grasses, Mount Gibbs and Kuna Crest, Tuolumne Meadows

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Meltwater Pond and Grasses, Mount Gibbs and Kuna Crest, Tuolumne

Meltwater Pond and Grasses, Mount Gibbs and Kuna Crest, Tuolumne Meadows. Yosemite National Park, California. July 8, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening sky is reflected in a meltwater pond at the edge of a Tuolumne Meadows with Mount Gibbs and the Kuna Crest beyond, Yosemite National Park, California.

A rather peaceful evening scene, again at the seasonal runoff ponds near the west end of Tuolumne Meadows on and early July evening. I’m always intrigued by the patterns that the partially submerged meadow grasses make in these ponds, and here in the way they interrupt the sky reflected in the surface of the pond. On this evening I was also struck by the unusual coloration of the clouds about the summit of Mt Gibbs (at the left) and Mammoth Peak and barely-sunlit Kuna Crest in the center and right half of the frame.

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, melt, water, pond, pool, reflection, grass, flowers, blue, pink, green, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, crest, ridge, evening, dusk, sunset, light, mount, gibbs, kuna, crest, mammoth, peak, tree, forest, river, slope, hill, nature, scenic, landscape, travel, nature, stock