Tag Archives: rocky

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

Early Fall Color

October 22, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early fall color from aspens on rocky slopes in the Eastern Sierra Nevada

This is another photograph from my mid-September 2016 fall color reconnaissance trip to Yosemite’s high country and to the eastern Sierra. Initially when I planned this trip is was intended to be primarily a camping, hiking, and photography trip into the late summer Sierra landscape, with the fall color being a distinctly secondary part of my plan. I would typically not begin to actually photography fall color until a couple of weeks later, and the fall color orientation of this trip was to try to get an early idea of how things might shape up by early October. Much to my surprise, a quick visit to the east side of the range turned up enough early color to make aspen photography worthwhile.

I took an overnight trip down the east side, where I camped up in one of the big valleys cutting in toward the Sierra crest, just the kind of place where the aspens grow. One of the spots I visited was this familiar slope, a place where I often photograph in October and where a spectacular range of colors appears and stretches right up this rocky slope toward the summit ridge. Much to my surprise, the central part of this group of trees had already turned golden, though it was still ringed with green trees that I knew would provide excellent color for the next few weeks.

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

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

Shoreline Aspen Color

October 4, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A variety of colorful autumn aspen trees line the rocky shoreline of an Eastern Sierra subalpine lake

While understatement can often be a good thing, sometimes when making photographs of Sierra Nevada autumn aspen trees one simply has to go with the colors. This was one of those times. I was fortunate to arrive at this spot on close to the ideal color day for this section of the lake. Not only were nearly all the trees showing their fall color, but quite a few trees showed the less common shades of red and orange, along with the more typical golden-yellow. These are not big trees, but what they lack in stature they make up for in color.

This photograph is also an example of one good kind of light for photographing this subject. I began photographing a bit earlier in the soft, shaded light. This sort of light can be very “friendly” to intensely colorful subjects and to subjects that include lots of shadows. But it can also be quite blue — except here I photographed just before the sun reached this spot, and much of the ambient light was acquiring a warmer quality. The soft light doesn’t push the intensity of the colors so far that they may blow out — it tends to make the colors more vibrant, but gives a bit more control.

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

Forest, Granite Ridges

July 30, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning light and thin forest along granite ridges, Yosemite National Park

This is to be a summer of travel, and a great deal of it will take me a long ways from my Sierra Nevada mountains — to other wonderful places, but not places that are wild and natural. (At least not until September, when my visits to the Sierra will recommence.) So I managed to get up into the Yosemite high country for four days in mid-July to do some photography… and breathing!

On the last morning, before returning to break camp, I headed out early to look for subjects in morning light. In fact, I had been watching this particular area and had in mind to photograph these trees, growing on an old glaciated granite ridge, against the background of more distant, haze-muted, ridges. Once I got there it was a bonus to notice the diagonal shadows of the distant trees.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Barren Slopes

July 22, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Boulders scattered across the slopes of a rocky desert landscape

This bit of landscape is a familiar one for me. An odd hill stands in the middle of mostly level playa and near drifting sand — the hill is composed of a different and darker material and is in other ways not like the surroundings. A number of years ago I discovered that place provides some panoramic views of surrounding terrain that stretch off into the distance, and I often go there early in the morning or in the evening to photograph when conditions seem right.

On this evening I did go there, but decided to wander along its flank rather than go to the top. At the base of the western slopes the rugged and rocky terrain faced the sunset sky, muted by high clouds, and presented a series of shallow valleys leading off into the distance, punctuated by boulders.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: rocky

Early Fall Color

Shoreline Aspen Color

Forest, Granite Ridges

Barren Slopes

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.