Tag Archives: rocky

Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise

Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise
The half-moon rises over a ridge above a Yosemite backcountry lake.

Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The half-moon rises over a ridge above a Yosemite backcountry lake.

This rugged ridge rises above the lake at which I camped for several days of Yosemite backcountry photography. During the day these slopes have an entirely different appearance, glowing brightly in the harsh daytime sunlight. Later they become blue as the sun leaves and evening shadows take over. But for a brief moment just before the sun dropped over the western horizon, the slopes were washed with this beautiful pink light as the moon rose over the ridge.

We often imagine that landscape photography is a slow, thoughtful process. It can be slow, and there are times when I wait a long time in one spot for the right thing to happen. But other times the landscape changes with remarkable speed. The edge-of-the-day morning and evening times often are in this category, as the light undergoes profound changes in minutes or even seconds.


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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West-Facing Wall

West-Facing Wall
Sunset light floods a west-facing bowl above a high Yosemite backcouintry lake.

West-Facing Wall. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Sunset light floods a west-facing bowl above a high Yosemite backcouintry lake.

In the recent series of panoramic photographs from the Yosemite backcountry and a follow-up photograph in a more typical orientation, I mentioned this location and its extraordinary exposure to the western sky. Among backcountry locations with which I’m familiar, this one is perhaps the most reliable at producing beautiful sunset light and alpenglow.

For this photograph I decided to simply compose straight on, looking right at the upper (and east) side of the bowl. Even though peak sunset color has not yet quite arrived, the entire cliff face is washed with this warmly-colorful light.


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.

Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs

Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs
Rugged trees cling to rocky bluffs above the Pacific Coast shoreline, Point Lobos.

Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Rugged trees clinging to rocky bluffs above the Pacific Coast shoreline, Point Lobos.

This scene gets a different treatment than other recent Point Lobos photographs, something more in line with the tradition of black and white photography at this location. The foreground tree and its nearby associates are influenced by the strong winds at this exposed location. Branches and whole trees are bent away from the open sea, and their angles are mirrored by the slope of the headland on the other side of the foggy inlet.

In a recent post I mentioned that some attractive Point Lobos subjects are often nearly impossible to photograph because dense trees stand between legal (and safe!) camera positions and the open views. While sometimes I can find a way to photograph under, around, or through these barriers, that isn’t always. possible. I initially went to this spot looking for an open view of the inlet, but when I couldn’t find it I decided to make the trees and boulders the main foreground element.


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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Monterey Cypress, Cormorant Rookery, Fog

Monterey Cypress, Cormorant Rookery, Fog
Fog obscures a cormorant rookery behind a Monterey cypress tree growing on a rocky promontory.

Monterey Cypress, Cormorant Rookery, Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Fog obscures a cormorant rookery behind a Monterey cypress tree growing on a rocky promontory.

You might think that I would be done with photographs of this tree and its surroundings by now. But you would be wrong. And, yes, there is at least one more to come. Variations include portrait versus landscape mode, wider near-panoramic aspect ratios, the inclusion of more or less of the surrounding terrain, and in this case some wildlife.

The main feature and primary focus in all of the variations is this gnarled tree growing on a rocky promontory. In this rendition the wide aspect ration allows me to include more of the background. The most interesting part of that to me is the white (guano-covered) rocky knoll barely visible in the fog over the left shoulder of the Monterey cypress tree. This rock is the site of a cormorant rookery, and the young birds (almost as large as their parents!) stand and wait for mom and dad to bring them more food.


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 | FacebookEmail

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.