Tag Archives: season

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Two Aspen Trees and Cliff

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Two Aspen Trees and Cliff
Two autumn aspen trees against the rocky face of an Eastern Sierra Nevada cliff.

Two Aspen Trees and Cliff. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.– all rights reserved.

Two autumn aspen trees against the rocky face of an Eastern Sierra Nevada cliff.

This is another photograph that isn’t quite totally new. Some years ago I made several exposures of this little scene, with the two trees with fall color backed by the rocky cliff face. (To be sure, this was not the only time I photographed these trees — this is a favorite spot of mine in the right conditions.) But This one is just a bit different than the earlier one — a very slightly different position, I think, and a different crop, plus some refinement of how I approached the post processing.

I sort of wonder if it may be too early to start sharing fall color photographs. Ah, heck, no! Never too early for that! In fact, my mind is typically on at least three seasons at a time anyway. First, the season that just passed and from which I still have raw files to process. Second the current season because, well, that’s obvious, right? Third, one season beyond the current one — because I always have slightly longer term plans running in the back of my mind.

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: Owens Valley, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Sunrise in the Buttermilks

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Sunrise in the Buttermilks
Autumn dawn light on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada above the Buttermilks.

Sunrise in the Buttermilks. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn dawn light on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada above the Buttermilks.

This is a sort of new/old photograph. A question from a friend about the time period when I made it prompted me to make a return visit to some older photographs from that time. When I came to this on in my raw file archive I knew it looked familiar, but the raw file itself appeared to be little changed from the downloaded default settings. I soon realized that I had worked it up before, but using some older software and without using some techniques that I now apply on a regular basis. So it was back to the drawing board to come up with a newer interpretation that I like more than the old one. (I’m with the many other photographers who regard the original — whether it be a raw file or a film image — to be the score, not the only possible performance.)

It occurs to me that the title might well perplex some folks who are not familiar with this area of the eastern Sierra Nevada. “The Buttermilks” is (are?) an area of fascinating rock formations at the base of the Sierra above Bishop, California. Long a favorite location for climbers, I’m surprised that it hasn’t attracted more photographers. It isn’t that hard to get to, though to fully explore it you are going to have to drive on some gravel backroads and likely do a bit of hiking. I made this photograph on an autumn morning when I was in the Sierra to photograph fall color.

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: Northern California

Spring Green

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Spring Green
Spring foliage growing in the hills of Santa Clara County.

Spring Green. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring foliage growing in the hills of Santa Clara County.

This little intimate landscape vignette comes from a rural county park not far from where I live. I’ve hiked this location for several decades. It is one of my go-to places for quick doses of nature, as I can go there and get in a good hike between breakfast and lunch. Most of the park consists of rather open oak and grassland country, but there are places in the lowlands where things can be quite lush and green at the right times of the year, especially during California’s early spring “impossibly green” season.

I love traveling to more distant landscapes as much as anyone — going to places that seem more rugged and further from the civilized world. But over the years I’ve come to treasure the more local landscapes, too. Admittedly, I’m blessed by living less than an hour from redwood groves and the Pacific Ocean, and only a few hours from the Sierra. But much closer and seemingly less spectacular locations abound here, too.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dry Corn Lily Plants, Autumn

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Dry Corn Lily Plants, Autumn
A bed of fallen and dry autumn corn lily plants, Yosemite National Park.

Dry Corn Lily Plants, Autumn. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bed of fallen and dry autumn corn lily plants, Yosemite National Park.

The corn lily is one of my favorite Sierra plants. It tends to grow in meadowy, wet areas that are often particularly lush — and thus bug infested— in the early season. I think it is an attractive plant at almost any point in its annual life-cycle. It emerges as the green shoot as meadows come back to life early in the season, and before long the intense and lush bright green plants stand tall. But this state of perfection doesn’t last long, and soon blemishes appear — dark spots, holes, and eventually yellow areas as the end of the summer season draws near. (I’ve long thought of this change as the first sign of the coming Sierra autumn season.) Eventually the plants dry out, fall over, and when everything works out just right the form small carpets of brown and yellow and tan and fading green.

The corn lily is a favorite of photographers, most often photographed during that earlier lush, green stage. (It often seems like photographing such a beautiful plant would be easy, but once I start looking for the perfect conjunction of leaf shapes it inevitably becomes more difficult than I expected. )

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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.