Tag Archives: sagebrush

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin

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Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin
“Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin” — A group of ponderosa pines on slopes leading toward Mono Lake in distant haze.

Mono Lake is a remarkable place. Lying in a relatively high, desert basin, it covers a huge area. It is so big that it is just about impossible to get a solid impression of its vast size. While you can drive past its west side and access a few spots along the north and south shores, much of it is essentially inaccessible, at least without a lot of very difficult travel. Because its level has fluctuated over time, much of the surrounding area has been submerged in the past, and the evidence of this is everywhere.

The lake itself is set in an even larger basin surrounded by mountains — the Sierra to the west and various desert ranges to the north, east, and south. I made this photograph near the base of one of those, the Mono Craters. Here an extensive ponderosa pine forest spills down from the heights and spreads across the shallower slopes of the basin, eventually fading out within sight of the lake. These trees are some of the furthest vanguards of that forest. Beyond you see the final descent the lake, the lake itself, and in the far distance the faint outlines of distant desert mountains.

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

High Desert Aspens in Transition

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High Desert Aspens in Transition
A grove of high desert aspens in transition to autumn color.

High Desert Aspens in Transition. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A grove of high desert aspens in transition to autumn color.

Although my first inclination has always been to think of aspens as being trees of the high, subalpine zone, in fact they grow right down into the high desert, including along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. As such the trees are often found juxtaposed with what seem more like desert landscapes than the mountain scenes we might expect. I’m fascinated by these places, and I’ve long looked around for more examples.

This little winding grove sits near the bottom of a shallow valley that likely holds a stream during the spring melt. Here most of the trees are the typical small and sometimes stunted type, but the skeletons of a few taller trees are mixed into these little groves.

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

Desert Meets Forest, Autumn

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Desert Meets Forest, Autumn
An autumn conjunction of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, conifers, and aspens in the Eastern Sierra.

Desert Meets Forest, Autumn. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An autumn conjunction of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, conifers, and aspens in the Eastern Sierra.

This is another autumn photograph from that wonderful Eastern Sierra transition zone, where the high desert country of sagebrush meets the mountain country of conifers and aspens. Many years ago I regarded the two environments as being completely exclusive, but eventually it sank into my thick skull that this perception did not align with reality. In particular I recall one autumn visit to a very dry region east of the Sierra where I saw some of the most colorful aspens growing in a small desert valley.

A photograph like this one presents some technical challenges to the photographer. I think it looks pretty simple, but it wasn’t. The first issue was the the scene was lit by fairly intense backlight. I love backlight, but it creates some extremely bright highlights — and underexposing the shot is necessary to protect them from blowing out. In addition, because the sun was low and almost directly in front of the camera there was a great potential for flare. To make this photograph I actually stood in front of the camera and carefully used my hand to cast a shadow on the lens. Finally, with all of these elements of very bright light and the need to underexpose a bit, some of the shaded areas ended up darker than they seemed “in the flesh,” necessitating some post-production work with curves to bring back some of those shadow details.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Wild Horses

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Wild Horses
A herd of feral horses in high desert hill country east of the Sierra Nevada

Wild Horses. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A herd of feral horses in high desert hill country east of the Sierra Nevada.

Those of us whose orientation to the Sierra Nevada and points east comes mainly from visits as outsiders can overlook aspects of the culture and history of the area that we weren’t looking for. As someone who came to these mountains, starting many decades ago, as a camper and backpacker (and, at times skier, climber, and photographer) my orientation held that the range was mainly a place about wilderness. It is that, in many ways, but that’s not all it is. Over time I learned and accepted that there are other threads: prospecting and mining, fishing (I tried, but little luck!), ranching, and more.

This herd of feral horses is probably a remnant of some of those “other” threads. Over decades a number of horses managed to get free, and they also managed to survive rather well in some of the areas east of the Sierra. (I first saw them decades ago way out in Nevada.) I ran into this herd on an exploration into less-visited areas roughly east of Yosemite a few years back. I had rumors, but wasn’t necessarily expecting to see them — but was thrilled when I came over a low saddle and spotted them up ahead. (It might seem surprising to some that I’ve put this photograph in the “wildlife” category, but these horses are no longer domesticated critters.)

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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