Tag Archives: river

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Looking West

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Looking West
Looking across Sierra Nevada foothills toward California’s Central Valley at dusk

Looking West. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Looking across Sierra Nevada foothills toward California’s Central Valley at dusk

I didn’t intend the photograph to be such, but it could be at least a bit metaphorical. I made in near the end of my period as a Yosemite Renaissance artist-in-residence, at opportunity that provided me with a total of about two weeks to photograph in the park, mostly in the Valley. (More of the photography from this work will be seen in an exhibit opening at Gallery 5 in Oakhurst in June — stay tuned for the details!) Hence the metaphorical “sunset” on the photography for this project (unless I manage to squeeze in one more quick visit next week!) and “looking west” toward my home in the San Francisco Bay Area, from which I post this image.

I suppose this photograph is also a bit more evidence — as if it were needed! — that Yosemite is far more than just the Valley, as incomparable as that area of the park is. I made the photograph on my evening “commute” between the Valley and my lodging elsewhere in the park, and by this evening I had already selected the location as a likely prospect. Often when I’m in the park my orientation is to the highest peaks lying on its eastern boundary along the Sierra crest. But on this evening I was looking the other way, towards layers of foothills descending toward California’s Great Central Valley to the west.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Winter Trees

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Winter Trees
Bare winter trees alongside the Merced River

Winter Trees. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bare winter trees alongside the Merced River

There is a, obviously, a lot to see in Yosemite Valley and the rest of this famous national park. Many of the iconic sights are well-known and there is little question why. (As someone said, “They are icons for a reason!”) We all love those familiar domes and cliffs and waterfalls, and we all photograph them. But eventually, after spending quite a bit of time in this place, it is easy to see that there are plenty of other things worth looking for in the Valley and beyond.

Most people are familiar with these scenes in spring and summer, and the ideal includes lots of greenery, perhaps some colorful wildflowers, flowing rivers and waterfalls. But those conditions account for only a small portion of the year here, and especially in late fall and winter you are more likely to find dormant meadows, leafless deciduous trees, rain or snow, and very different light. These trees grow in a location that in spring and summer is noted for green meadows, a flowing river, and sun and warmth When I photographed it this time it was very cold, at the end of a winter day, and thin light was coming through high clouds and softly lighting the bare trunks and branches of these 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 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, Photographs: Yosemite

Riverbank Trees, Winter Light

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Riverbank Trees, Winter Light
Bare winter trees along the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

Riverbank Trees, Winter Light. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bare winter trees along the Merced River, Yosemite Valley

There are many interesting things in Yosemite Valley. (“Duh!,” right?) The big, iconic features are well-known, but wander away from those a bit and you are bound to find more things worth exploring — trails, bends in the river, groves of trees, meadows, boulders, views of less-known cliffs, hidden seasonal waterfalls, and even historical human structures. Wander in the right directions at the right times and you may even find something approaching solitude in this busy place. (You’ll increase the odds if you do your wandering at times other than the summer tourist season.)

This photograph only required a small bit of wandering, since the walk to this spot is quite short. One of may photography habits in the Valley is to seek out “edges” — where shadow and light meet. These places produce all kinds of wonderful effects, including the possibility of somewhat subdued light and the opportunity to place brightly lit subjects against darker backgrounds. These trees provided such an opportunity, as the long shadows of cliffs along the north side of the Valley were growing across the Valley floor, leaving the riverside trees in low, late-afternoon sun while the background subjects had already fallen into shadows. The stark winter light, nearly devoid of color, produced an almost monochromatic scene with only subtle hints of color.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Fields

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Winter Fields
A flock of sandhill cranes flies through an evening winter sky about the San Joaquin River

Winter Fields. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of sandhill cranes flies through an evening winter sky about the San Joaquin River

During winter I travel to California’s Central Valley somewhat frequently, ostensibly to photograph birds but, to be honest, also to photograph the landscape — one that often features fog, fields and trees on the trajectory between winter and spring, unusual effects of light, and those birds. In mid-January I was there one afternoon, on my way to an opening reception at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock. The drive would usually take me about two hours, but I left early to create some time to explore areas along the San Joaquin River as it approaches the delta and eventually San Francisco Bay.

It was an interesting weather day. It was range when I left the San Francisco Bay Area, but I got ahead of the front as I crossed into the valley, and it was partly sunny as I headed east on country roads towards this destination. Out here by the river it was hazy and foggy, as it so often is this time of year, and before long the clouds of that front caught up with me and produced an interesting and evocative “atmospheric soup” that was occasionally illuminated subtly when the clouds above the fog to the west thinned. The photograph looks across fallow and muddy fields where sandhill cranes were collecting and towards the scattered trees that grow nearer to the river, above which a flock of cranes flies past.

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.