Tag Archives: ridge

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

Valley to Summit

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Valley to Summit
Basin Mountain, as seen from the base of the Sierra Nevada.

Valley to Summit. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Basin Mountain, as seen from the base of the Sierra Nevada.

This is a vertical-format view of one of my favorite eastern Sierra mountains, Basin Mountain. It isn’t the tallest in the range or even on this section of the crest, and others have more storied reputations. But I’ve spent quite a bit of time in places where I could see it — both directly beneath its eastern face and passing by on the way to other locations. Although it isn’t very clear from this angle, that eastern face features a striking “basin” that opens toward Owens Valley. I’ve long been intrigued by an obvious trail ascending into that basin, though I’ve never gotten around to taking it.

I made the photograph from the base of the Sierra along the western edge of what we might broadly consider to be part of Owens Valley. (Technically, the exact spot has a different name, but close enough!) The view illustrates some typical features of the “East Side” mountains. They rise from desert-like terrain in many places, and even when it isn’t actually desert it is dry. The foothills rise through what I refer to as “sagebrush country,” often on material deposited by flowing water or old glaciers, and eventually meet the rugged base of the rocky Sierra itself. From there the terrain becomes much more alpine and often much steeper as it rises toward the highest peaks.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

The Storm Clears

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The Storm Clears
A Sierra Nevada summer storm clears at sunset.

The Storm Clears. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A Sierra Nevada summer storm clears at sunset.

Before I get too far into the background of this photograph, has anyone else noticed that the ways to title a photograph of (yet another) clearing storm are… limited? That aside, this was one of the most spectacular Sierra backcountry evenings I have experienced. After essentially two days of rain, some of it extremely heavy, the storm finally began to break up in the late afternoon, and we were able to venture out. I began by photographing post-storm fog drifting around the valley, but before long the thinning clouds to the east began to put on a wildly colorful show. As that finished I turned my attention back toward the ridge to our west. The fog and clouds there were breaking up, too, and the very last sunlight of the day back-lit clouds above the crest.

This was not an easy photograph, both to “capture” at that moment and to work with in post. As you may be able to imagine, technical challenges included a very wide dynamic range, great contrasts in coloration, the position of the drifting fog, and more. Among other compensations, now when I look at this photograph I am transported back to the sights and sensations of that wonderful evening.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Post-Storm Clouds

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Post-Storm Clouds
“Post-Storm Clouds” — A great variety of clouds and fog as a summer storm clears over the Eastern Sierra.

No, I am still not quite finished with this spectacular evening in the Sierra backcountry. In early August our group spent a week base-camped in the wilderness, heading out each day (starting before sunrise and concluding after dark) to photograph our spectacular surroundings. We experienced challenging weather during the first 24 hours, but on the evening of the second day the storm dissipated, and just at sunset things opened up and alpenglow briefly lit up the sky.

There was no guarantee of this happening — which is often the case when chasing such subjects. Not long before this things were pretty gray, and fog drifted just overhead, obscuring trees and peaks, al though we could see that the sky was lightening up a bit. Then a bit of pink showed up on the higher clouds, gradually working its way down though the various layers left by the departing storm. I had been photographing the fog, but I quickly turned my attention to this developing scene! As the sky became more and more colorful, a bank of lighter fog enveloped the top of a ridge on the other side of the valley beyond the lake. A few minutes after this spectacular finale… the show was over.

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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

The Storm Ends

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The Storm Ends — remnants of summer storm in the Ritter Range.
“The Storm Ends” — Sunset light on clouds as a summer monsoon storm clears above Sierra Nevada peaks.

Yes, I’m still working my way through the photographs from our August backcountry photography expedition in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. The process is often an extended one for me. Typically there are a few images that jump out at me immediately. Then I begin to work on photographs that I was less sure about initially but which grow on me as I consider them. Finally there are photographs like this one that, from the start, seemed interesting but which I knew would take additional effort to bring to a presentable state. In this case, the light was quite challenging and this version of the photograph required considerable post-processing to get it to where I feel that it reflects what I saw and felt that evening.

We had walked in to our basecamp location (with packers bringing much of our gear) the previous day. Almost immediately after our arrival a tremendous monsoonal summer storm unloaded on us, pinning us down in our tents for hours. The challenging weather continued, albeit in less dramatic form, over the next 24 hours. On the second evening the clouds began to break a bit and it seemed like the sky might be getting lighter beyond the ridge to our west. We all headed out to photograph the transition, and we were not disappointed! As the clearing continued, fog drifted among the peaks and the last of the day’s sun illuminated clouds with sunset light.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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