Tag Archives: red

Aspens, Forest, and Snow Showers – North Lake

Aspens, Forest, and Snow Showers - North Lake

Aspens, Forest, and Snow Showers – North Lake. Sierra Nevada, California, October 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early autumn snow falls on peaks above the aspen groves at North Lake, California.

I had arrived at North Lake on this early October morning to photograph the renowned aspen stands surrounding the lake. After arriving before dawn and getting all of my gear out and ready to shoot… it began to snow! I retreated to my car for nearly an hour, but soon the early season front passed through and the sun began to shine through in between the light snow showers. This photograph was made from the road near the “aspen tunnel” near the upper end of the lake. I like the multiple layers of bright fall aspen color in the foreground, green forest on the ridge in the middle, and the combination of thin sunlight and snow showers on the high peaks beyond.

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: aspen, tree, grove, color, yellow, red, orange, gold, forest, ridge, mountain, snow, squall, flurry, peak, cloud, mist, fog, rock, north lake, california, usa, sierra, nevada, range, alpine, bishop, creek, nature, autumn, fall, season, scenic, landscape, travel, stock

Last Autumn Sunset of 2008 – Point Lobos

Last Autumn Sunset of 2008 - Point Lobos

Last Autumn Sunset of 2008 – Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. December 20, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve on the final evening of autumn 2008.

Sometimes, as hard as you may try to resist, you just have to shoot the sunset.

I was at Point Lobos this afternoon since it was a beautiful, clear day – and rain is coming tomorrow. Earlier I had photographed shore birds and then sea lions, along with the usual assortment of rocks and so forth. Within the past year or so the park’s closing time has been extended until a half hour after sunset, so I wandered up the trail along the coast near the south end of the park. I made some photographs of the rocks around bird island and explored a cove or two, and then after the sun set I saw this amazing reflection on the surface of the water to the west.

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: sunset, twilight, evening, last, final, 2008, year, pacific, ocean, sea, rock, horizon, clouds, water, surface, reflection, color, gold, yellow, orange, blue, red, sky, seascape, landscape, travel, scenic, stock, point lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, carmel, big sur, monterey, peninsula, coast

Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning light illuminates complex folds and gullies at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

I was reminded of these photographs recently when I read a discussion thread on photographing the amazing formations at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, and I went back to look through some of my images from a previous trip that I had not reviewed recently.

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: zabriskie, point, morning, light, fold, gully, hill, color, mountain, desert, dry, erosion, eroded, brown, tan, red, shadow, scenic, travel, landscape, death valley, national park, california, usa, stock, curve

Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain

Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain

Yosemite Falls, Autumn Rain. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Yosemite Falls and Valley meadow and forest in an autumn rain storm.

Another photograph from my rainy early-November weekend in Yosemite Valley. On Saturday the storm was coming in and as the day wore on the rain increased. As I photographed the nearly leafless trees in the meadows in sight of Yosemite Falls, the rain increased to the point that the Falls were almost completely obscured, although the rain also created a wonderful misty atmosphere and muted the fall colors.

A note about shooting in the rain… I foolishly removed my umbrella from my bag before I left on this trip. What was I thinking?! A good umbrella may be almost your most important piece of photographic equipment when shooting in conditions like these. Instead I ended up using an alternative set of strategies. (I did try to find an umbrella at the Yosemite Village store… but I couldn’t bring myself to buy a souvenir umbrella with big bear footprints all over it. :-) I have a nice Goretex rain hat that almost exactly covers my 5D and my lenses, so the main plan was to get everything set up and ready to shoot and then put the hat on top. While the tripod got wet the camera stayed reasonably dry – well, OK, not too wet. A little moisture on the outside of the camera body doesn’t concern me too much, though these conditions were such that I had to be pretty careful and use a towel on the camera and lens every time I returned to the car.


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.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.