Tag Archives: rock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Trees, Rock Face With Lichen

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Aspen Trees, Rock Face With Lichen

Aspen Trees, Rock Face With Lichen. Near South Lake, SIerra Nevada, California. October 3, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Colorful lichens on a cracked cliff face between two aspen trees with fall colors near South Lake, Sierra Nevada, California.

I had passed by this section of rocks and cliffs just below Parcher’s Resort earlier in the day, noting the interesting trees against the jumbled background of the rock – but I decided against shooting there at first because the direct sun was still hitting the trees. Instead, I made a mental note to check back much later in the afternoon after the sun had moved lower and further west to put this area into diffused shadow lighting.

I came back later – when it was getting quite cold! – and wandered up and down this area making several exposures. The trickiest thing was that it was extremely windy. Low light, strong wind, and fluttering aspen leaves tend to conspire to make photography tricky, and this was no exception! The best approach seemed to involve not only high ISO… but also a great deal of patience. Once I set up a shot I would wait… and wait… and wait for a small lull in the wind, during which I would squeeze of a few exposures.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: two, aspen, trees, trunk, branch, leaf, yellow, green, gold, white, cliff, rock, crack, granite, lichen, red, fall, autumn, season, nature, flora, foliage, landscape, scenic, travel, bishop, creek, south, lake, fork, road, color, sierra, nevada, range, mountains, california, usa, landscape, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Shoreline Trees in Morning Light, Upper Cathedral Lake

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Shoreline Trees in Morning Light, Upper Cathedral Lake

Shoreline Trees in Morning Light, Upper Cathedral Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 27, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light illuminates a row of shoreline trees and autumn meadow with granite slopes beyond at Upper Cathedral Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

During the final weekend of September I briefly joined five other photographers (and a painter) at Upper Cathedral Lake in the Yosemite National Park back-country near Tuolumne Meadows. (The rest of this group was there for a full week, and I only joined them for two days.)

For a location so close to “civilization” (the trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows is only 3.5 miles away) the Cathedral Lakes area provides an astonishing wealth of photographic subjects. There are two lakes, and the pointed summit of Cathedral Peak looms nearby. But beyond that the lakes are surrounded by huge masses of glaciated granite slabs, domes, and peaks. There are beautiful meadows and surrounding forest. A short climb away are the alpine peaks of the Cathedral Range.

While the other photographers ventured further from the base camp at Upper Cathedral, I chose to work closer to camp. On the first evening I wandered up a nearby rocky gully, shooting fall foliage and granite formations. I eventually topped out and climbed out onto the smooth dome-like glaciated surface overlooking the upper lake and with a clear view of Cathedral Peak. Very early the next morning I was up and starting a 3 hour circumnavigation of this small lake, photographing the water, the shoreline rocks, the meadows, the surrounding peaks, and in this photo the forest and groves of trees than surround the lake.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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keywords: morning, light, backlight, forest, grove, tree, pine, large, small, meadow, brown, golden, dry, beach, sand, shore, shoreline, rock, boulder, bowl, shadow, reflection, water, lake, surface, fall, autumn, season, high, sierra, nevada, mountains, range, california, usa, yosemite, national, park, backpack, hike, camp, scenic, landscape, nature, stock, upper, cathedral, lake

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Mount Conness, Early Evening Thunderstorms

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Mount Conness, Early Evening Thunderstorms

Mount Conness, Early Evening Thunderstorms. Yosemite National Park, California. September 9, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening thunderstorms above Mount Connesss, as seen from near Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Yosemite National Park, California.

As most of California was heading back home on Labor Day, I was heading to the Sierra Nevada for a late-season four-day pack trip into the Yosemite National Park back-country around the Fletcher Lake/Vogelsang High Sierra Camp area. I got off to a very late start and didn’t get on the trail up Lyell Canyon until nearly 5:00 p.m., so it was dark when I finally arrived at the Ireland Lake trail junction to make camp and fix dinner – and, a bit later, to be serenaded by coyotes.

The next day I headed up the Ireland Lake trail to spend a night at Evelyn Lake and then move the following day to Fletcher Lake, the location of the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. The situation at Fletcher Lake exemplifies much of what I love about late-season Sierra backpacking. During the high season this is a very popular place: a few dozen people stay at the facilities of the high sierra camp and many more backpackers camp nearby – it can be a very busy place! But the high sierra camp shuts down after Labor Day (they were dismantling the tents when I arrived) and the number of backpackers drops dramatically.

But for a photographer, many other special things happen at this time of year as well. While some may lament the passing of the rich green plants of these meadows, I love the golden color that lasts for a few weeks between early September and the coming of the first snow only weeks later – and the spots of green you do find are even more special. The weather cools and there is something special about the light that I can’t quite define – perhaps it is the lower angle of the sun or maybe some change in the weather conditions.

This photograph was made in the early evening on the day I arrived at Fletcher Lake. My usual practice is to set up camp and have an early dinner and then grab the camera equipment as “golden hour” approaches and go to work. I had been focused on the camp chores and hadn’t noticed these clouds until I picked up the camera! Here two large cells, perhaps beginning to dissipate as the day ended, were towering above Mount Conness and the Sierra crest.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: mount, conness, johnson, peak, early, evening, late, afternoon, thunderstorm, cloud, towering, blue, sky, rain, virga, light, fletcher, lake, vogelsang, high, sierra, nevada, camp, range, mountains, alpine, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, nature, meadow, brown, gold, lodgepole, tamarack, pine, forest, rock, ridge, backpack, camp, fall, autumn, color, season, stock, september, boulder

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Yosemite

Two Trees Against Boulder, Ten Lakes Basin

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Two Trees Against Boulder, Ten Lakes Basin

Two Trees Against Boulder, Ten Lakes Basin. Yosemite National Park, California. August 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two small trees growing against the face of a large boulder in the Ten Lakes Basin, Yosemite National Park, California.

Earlier in the day I had wandered down from “lake three” to “lake two” in Ten Lakes Basin (where there are apparently actually seven lakes – go figure!). My goal was partly just to see one more of the lakes, but I also wanted to scope out some photographic possibilities during the day so that when I returned later in the evening I would be able to get to work more quickly. This pair of trees was on my “maybe” list, so when I returned in the evening I photographed the subjects on the “definite” list first and then turned my attention to a group of trees growing closely around a large glacial (I assume) boulder.

Whatever the aesthetic result, this was not an easy photo to do on a technical basis. Since it was late and the lake was in deep shade behind a large mountain ridge to the west there was not a lot of light to work with, and what light there was trended a bit strongly toward blue. On top of that the wind was blowing like crazy, making camera stability a bit of an issue – not to mention the problem of shooting waving tree branches with the long exposures the conditions required. In the end I resorted to a regular strategy that included making quite a few exposures, trying to time them for brief pauses in the wind, and being willing to accept a small amount of motion blur.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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