Tag Archives: river

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

Boulders and Autumn Forest

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Boulders and Autumn Forest
“Boulders and Autumn Forest” — Fall colors in a conifer forest along the banks of the Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

while there is fall color in Yosemite, it is not widespread, and it comes in bits and pieces rather than hillsides blanketed in color. This scene is a case in point. The great majority of the trees here along the Merced River are conifers. But deciduous trees are scattered though the forest. Here they include three major sources of fall color in the Valley: A big leaf maple, a dogwood, and a black oak.

While working on this photograph I had a not-unusual “Yosemite experience.” When I made the exposure I was shooting across the Merced River into what seemed like an inaccessible forest. But as I post-processed the file and looked closely I discovered that there were old electrical wires hidden among the trees! The Valley has been populated for centuries, and few places there can be said to be true wilderness at this point.

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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


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Leie River Waterfront, Ghent

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Leie River Waterfront, Ghent
“Leie River Waterfront, Ghent” — Visitors on a walkway along the waterfront of the Leie River, Ghent.

Near the ned of our May-June travels we spent a week in Belgium, our first time visiting this country. Our final stop there was in Brussels, and one day we took the train from there to make a quick visit to Ghent. As is so often the case in such cities, Ghent has an inner “old town” section with lots of historic buildings, including a rather remarkable collection of churches and steeples.

I made this photograph from a bridge over the Leie River, from which there was a longer view of the curving waterway, the roadway and walk way that follow it, and some of the surrounding buildings. Not surprisingly in this part of Europe, it was another cloudy day.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Merced River Bend

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Merced River Bend
“Merced River Bend” — Autumn cottonwood trees grow along a bend in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

I made this photograph late in the afternoon as long shadows began to stretch across the floor of Yosemite Valley, gradually leaving these trees in shade. Here the Merced River flows slowly through a flat section next to meadows and lined with big cottonwood trees. Although a few of these trees had lost their leaves, many were at peak color.

This is one of several spots in the Valley where I like to wander slowly and look for photographs. This particular spot used to be easily accessible, though increasing Valley crowds have forced the park service to downgrade access. It took me a while, but I found a trail that wasn’t off-limits.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

River And Autumn Trees

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River And Autumn Trees
“River And Autumn Trees” — Autumn trees change colors along banks of the Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

While I wrote elsewhere that this end-of-October fall color visit to Yosemite focused on more intimate landscapes, this one might seem like an exception, given that the trees are across the river and there is a rather large cliff beyond. OK, it isn’t exactly “intimate by the usual standards…” but if you knew what I left out of this photograph you might forgive me! This is a spot in the Valley where you might typically photograph some of those larger, monumental subjects.

I had passed this spot without stopping earlier in the day, so when I came by again later on I was prepared to pause and photograph. This is a narrower section of the Valley, and those trees grow on the opposite bank of the Merced River. We see several of the sources of Yosemite autumn color here including the golden-brown black oak trees and the brilliant yellow big leaf maples.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.