Tag Archives: ridge

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Ridgeline Trees, Incoming Storm

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Ridgeline Trees, Incoming Storm
A late-summer storm sweeps over high mountain terrain, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Ridgeline Trees, Incoming Storm. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A late-summer storm sweeps over high mountain terrain, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

My favorite time of year in the Sierra Nevada high country is right now — roughly between mid-September and mid-October or a bit later. I love the place all year, wonderful stuff happens during this season. The overbearing crowds of summer are mostly gone — and I can just show up and get a campsite! The sun is often still warm, but its intensity has diminished. The light trends toward warm and soft and golden. Fall colors arrive and, of course, we sense winter out there on the seasonal horizon. These last easy, warm days seem even more precious as they come to an end yet again.

On the other hand, this transitional period brings surprises including cold, rain, graupel, hail, wind, snow… all of which I experienced on a few recent late-September days. I made this photograph from my camp at 9000’+ of elevation just outside Yosemite’s eastern border. Shortly after I set up my tent the sky darkened and soon rain, hail, and graupel arrived. The trees on this rocky prominence we in the last bit of soft light before the storm arrived and I took cover.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Snow-capped Panamint Mountains

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Snow-capped Panamint Mountains
Fresh snow forms patterns on the sparse forest along the crest of the Panamint Mountains.

Snow-capped Panamint Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Fresh snow forms patterns on the sparse forest along the crest of the Panamint Mountains.

After all these years of seeing snow on desert peaks, it still catches my attention when wintry weather comes to this landscape. At first it seems strange, but then I remember that desert temperature swings are huge and snow is actually common at higher elevations. This very recent snowfall had not really begun to melt yet — and the white snow set off the shapes of the juniper trees and ridges criss-crossing the slopes of this summit.

Most often when I’ve photographed this area late in the day the temperatures have been comfortable or even warm. But on this late-March evening it was distinctly cold, with wind blowing and the snow nearby. We bundled up and photographed for an hour or so as the day came to and end.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

From the Panamints to the Sierra

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From the Panamints to the Sierra
The long view from the crest of the Panamint Range in Death Valley to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

From the Panamints to the Sierra. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The long view from the crest of the Panamint Range in Death Valley to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

While details are somewhat obscured due to haze, this view stretches from the crest of Death Valley National Park’s Panamint Range all the way to southern summits of the Sierra Nevada. The distance here is quite impressive — my estimate is that those peaks are perhaps 80 miles away or so. If you look closely, you can see that the ridges just across Panamint Valley — two ridges before the Sierra — are topped with recent snowfall, even on this early spring date.

The haze tends to sit in the valleys between the mountain ranges, but it also extends higher into the atmosphere, thus hiding almost all details of the distance Sierra Nevada. The late-afternoon backlight contributes to the effect. Despite the hard edges of ridge lines this light brings a softness to the 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Mountains, Evening Haze

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Desert Mountains, Evening Haze
The view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley on a hazy evening.

Desert Mountains, Evening Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley on a hazy evening.

We visited this high place in Death Valley National Park on our late-March trip. It is a location I have been to many times, virtually always very early or very late in the day when the light is the most interesting. It can be crystal clear up here, providing distinct views stretching from the Sierra Nevada crest to distant mountains in southwest Nevada. But it can also be hazy, as it was on this evening.

Such haze is a mixed blessing. It obscures some distant details, but it also lends a softness and perhaps a bit of mystery to the scene. I made the photograph just before sunset, when the warm golden hour light was building. The foreground ridge is nearby, the intermediate stratified ridge is perhaps a few miles away, and in the distance mountains on the far side of Death Valley are faintly visible.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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