Tag Archives: reflection

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Afternoon Clouds, Reflections

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Afternoon Clouds, Reflections
“Afternoon Clouds, Reflections” — Afternoon clouds reflect on the waters of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake

With all of the other spectacular nearly subjects to photograph, I actually didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the lake where we were camped until near the end of our nine-day backcountry visit in late August and early September. I did walk past it regularly, sometimes with a camera and other times with a large water bucket to take back to camp. I photographed some of the nearby flowers. But mostly I departed from this area to head of to more distant locations, especially those further up the basin.

As the end of the trip approached I began to feel like I had neglected the lake, so I made time to explore it a bit more. At the upper end there was — as is typical — an extensive meadow with several meandering streams, and the meadow gradually became more marshy at the shoreline. On the far side a thin band of meadow ran between the lake the surrounding forest. The first time I went there I was too late, and light had already gone, shaded by nearby ridges. So this time I went a bit earlier in the late afternoon and arrived at the shoreline while there still was light on the trees and meadow. Even better, the air was crystal clear, impressive clouds had formed over large peaks to our south, and the wind had diminished to the point that the water’s surface was almost mirror smooth.

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Lake, Reflections, Clearing Clouds

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Lake, Reflections, Clearing Clouds
Late afternoon dissipating clouds reflected in the surface of a subalpine lake

Lake, Reflections, Clearing Clouds. John Muir Wilderness, California. September 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon dissipating clouds reflected in the surface of a subalpine lake

Our group camped in the forest on a moraine above this lake for over a week as we fanned out to photograph many subjects in the spectacular surrounding area — big meadows, lakes and ponds, timberline country, mountains. Each day we departed from the area of this lake, each midday was spent in camp, and we almost always walked through or past it again in the evenings. Despite this, I did not really photograph it much until the last few days of the trip, when I realized that it was becoming a now or never matter. (This often happens near the end of a lengthy backcountry photography trip — you start out feeling you have al the time in the world, and then at some point you become acutely aware of how little time remains.

I decided to focus more on this nearby lake during our final two day, and I watched the light and visited it morning and evening. As I did I began to figure out the patterns of light and shadow along the shoreline, and by the time I made this photograph I had determined that the sun left the meadow earlier than I expected. So on this day I picked my times a bit more carefully, and I arrived at a point when the sun was still on the peaks, when the water reflected them, and when (at least sometimes) a bit of light hit the nearby low ridges. For this photograph I also had beautiful clouds to work with as a weather system began to break up.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Nevada, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpine Tarn, Ridge

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Alpine Tarn, Ridge
A Sierra crest ridge reflected by the surface of a small alpine tarn in early evening light

Alpine Tarn, Ridge. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A Sierra crest ridge reflected by the surface of a small alpine tarn in early evening light

This photograph came near the end of a special day on our weeklong (and then some) backcountry photography visit to the John Muir Wilderness area. From our campsite in the trees on a moraine near a lower-elevation lake we took off in various groups to explore higher country. Above us was a large alpine basin that rose gradually to the head of the canyon at just above 12,000′ of elevation, with higher peaks on all sides. As we walked we left the forest behind and entered the landscape of rock and sparse trees. Some headed toward a higher lake; I struck off by myself to arrive at the top of a gentle ridge of glaciated granite slabs, from which I could see further up there valley and down into some rock-bound lakes.

Eventually it was time to leave since the sun was dropping behind peaks to the west. I worked my way back down the slabs, eventually spotting Patty coming across from a different portion of the ridge. We joined forces and continued our descent to the creek at the bottom of the valley, making a small tarn our target destination. I had the idea that I might get there just in time to make a few photographs before the shadows reached the lake. As it turned out, I cut the timing a bit close, and almost as soon as we arrived the first shadows approached the left side of the lake. I had to work quickly, so I found a composition that included the jagged rocks half-submerged along the shoreline, the lake itself, and the reflection of the 12,000′-plus ridge still in full sun.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Two Backpackers, Morning

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Two Backpackers, Morning
Backpackers along the shoreline of a Sierra Nevada backcountry lake in early morning

Two Backpackers, Morning. Hoover Wilderness Area, California. August 7, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Backpackers along the shoreline of a Sierra Nevada backcountry lake in early morning

We set up a very pleasant camp a ways back from the shoreline of this subalpine lake. Almost all high Sierra camps are pleasant, but this spot was almost luxurious. We were not far from easy access to water, there was a beautiful view from the shoreline, and the campsites themselves were on flat ground among large trees. We even had a few fallen trees and big rocks to use as furniture as we fixed meals and ate together.

In the morning I awoke before sunrise, and I soon got up the energy to climb out of my sleeping bag and put on warm clothes. I crawled out of the tent, grabbed camera equipment, and climbed up onto a knoll from which I had photographed the previous day. From here there was a panoramic view of the surrounding terrain, much of which was still in shadow. Soon a couple of fellow early risers appeared along the shoreline with fishing gear, standing on shoreline rocks and adding a human scale to this scene.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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