Tag Archives: red

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sky

Mono Lake, Dissipating Storm

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Mono Lake, Dissipating Storm
“Mono Lake, Dissipating Storm” — An evening thunderstorm dissipates above Mono Lake on an autumn evening.

It is well understood that some of the most interesting landscape photography light comes at the edges of the day, around sunrise or sunset. When things work out just right, Sierra Nevada weather conditions amplify this light. During the summer months afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon, and they often break up around sunset, allowing light from the west to dramatically illuminate and color the clouds.

I had been photographing in mixed light during the afternoon — sometimes it was clear, but at other times is was overcast. As the day moved toward sunset, I was passing along the west shore of Mono Lake as clouds dissipated and that western light turned the thinning storm clouds into a fiery cloudscape above the lake.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Transitions

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Aspen Transitions
“Aspen Transitions” — A small stand of old aspen snags surrounded by young trees transitioning to autumn colors, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Photographers sometimes debate the “best” moment to photograph autumn aspen color. Some say it is when the first trees start to show golden color. Others prefer the stage where every color from green through yellow, orange, and red is visible. Then the green leaves fall and only the wild autumn color remains. But there’s also something compelling about the post-peak stage when leaves have fallen and stark white trunks are more visible. This photograph is from the “every color”stage. You can follow the “aspen color rainbow” from the closest green trees to intensely colorful trees farther up the valley.

This color range is not the only “transition” in this photograph. Aspens do not last forever — old trees die and new ones quickly spring up. I’ve gone back to burned groves months after a fire to see new shoots already emerging from the roots of the burned trees. Look closely at this photograph and you’ll see a row of old aspen snags near the front of the scene. Perhaps they were burned in a fire years ago, but now they are almost obscured by the colorful new trees.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Poison Oak

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Poison Oak
“Poison Oak” — Poison oak leaves transition to fall colors in the deep shade of a redwood forest.

Aspens are not the only plants producing fall color here in California. The ubiquitous poison oak plants become even more red and start to pick up a bit of yellow/brown late in the season. The plant is widespread in wild areas of the state, ranging from coastal bluffs to oak forests to scrub brush, and California hikers soon learn how to identify it. The red leaves are a clue, but the oak shaped leaves in groups of three can mostly confirm it. (Though some wild berry plants have a similar appearance — but their stems have thorns, which are lacking on poison oak.)

The plant is flexible and grows in various ways. It can grow almost like a bush. Sometimes it is found in what amount to poison oak thickets. Low growing plants are sometimes found underneath other plants. It vines and can send runners up the trunks of trees, as is the case here. I photographed this example in a dark part of a forest at the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in the town of Big Sur.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Stairway, Kelvingrove Art Museum

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Stairway, Kelvingrove Art Museum
“Stairway, Kelvingrove Art Museum” — A stairway and red walls at the Kelvingrove Art Museum, Glasgow, Scotland

This is a stairway at the Kelvingrove Art Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. In addition to being a wonderful art and history museum, it has a few other special features. As I understand it, the more impressive entrance (which we used) is actually the rear entrance, bordering on a park. The reddish stone used in its construction is eye-catching, too. And once we got inside we discovered that the main hall has a pipe organ used for regular daytime concerts.

Ending up here was perhaps a bit less of an accident than some of the other stops on this day. We had walked from our hotel in central Glasgow, heading toward the West End where we hoped to see some of the famous street art and murals. The route took us through the park next to the museum, so we had planned stop there along the way. But detours abounded, and when we spotted the nearby buildings of Glasgow University we ended up taking a side trip there, too.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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