Tag Archives: sierra

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

Tuolumne Meadows, Lembert Dome, and Mount Dana

September 30, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Lembert Dome and the more distant Mount Dana rise above Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

This photograph is from my mid-September trip to the Sierra – I spent the first couple of days camped at Tuolumne Meadows before heading over to the “east side” to meet friends for a short pack trip up into McGee Canyon. The photograph was made from what might be described as the central meadow, shooting across a bend in the Tuolumne River, over a band of forest trees, with first Lembert Dome and then Mount Dana rising beyond. Lembert is the well-known dome that towers above the east end of the meadow, and there is a popular trail to the panoramic views at its summit. Mount Dana is the second-tallest peak in the park, being less than 100 feet shorter than Mt. Lyell. Dana sits on the eastern boundary of the park, along the Sierra crest right above Tioga Pass.

Although it was not longer early (at least by my standards) morning when I made this photograph, the typical early morning haze was still present. At this time of year it is a combination of the campfires at Tuolumne Meadows (a relatively small contributor on this morning), typical late season wild-fire smoke, and a bit of natural atmospheric haze. When backlit, this haze can almost glow, and while it does mute the contrast and details on more distant subjects, it also can accentuate the sense of distance through atmospheric recession. I chose to go with a black and white rendition of this scene for several reasons. One, frankly, is just because I felt like it! But on top of that, I like the way that monochrome can perhaps abstract the shapes and lines of the scene a bit more. And in this case, I ended up feeling that shades of gray might be more effective than the particular not-very-exciting color combinations in the scene!

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trees and Cliff, Morning

September 27, 2012 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Morning light spills over a high ridge to back light trees near Steelhead Lake.

This photograph was made from a point perhaps ten feet (or less!) from my bivy sack. We were camped at out-of-the-way Steelhead Lake, up above McGee Canyon and off the main trail to McGee Lakes and McGee Pass. While I had looked up McGee Canyon from the trailhead before – almost every year while photographing aspens, in fact – this was the first time that I had backpacked up this route and had a chance to actually explore the area. We ended up staying at this lake for two nights, providing time to do a bit of exploration and to see certain subjects that I might have missed with a shorter visit.

I had seen and photographed (though in a different way) this little clump of lakeside trees the morning before, but after thinking about them a bit more I felt that I’d like to shoot them again the next morning. The light at this lake is a bit tricky in that there is a very high ridge to the south and east that blocks the light until quite late in the morning. No morning golden hour shots at this lake! The ridge holds two of the four “railroad baron” peaks that surround Pioneer Basin – Crocker and Stanford. (The other two are Hopkins and Huntington.) A few years ago I had investigated Pioneer Basin on a separate trip and had stood on top of this very ridge and looked down towards this year’s camp. In any case, I had an idea to shoot the trees against backlight, and almost as soon as the sun appeared above this ridge I went to work. I had to shoot essentially straight into the sun in order to get the glowing atmosphere in the canyon beyond the first ridge, and even with a long focal length I was barely able to keep my hand out of the frame as I shaded to front of the lens.

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

Trees and Meadow, Morning

September 19, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late season golden morning light on trees at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

It is probably no secret that there are certain kinds of light that especially appeal to me. Among my favorite is early morning sunlight, shining through a bit of atmospheric haze, and illuminating trees. On top of that, I’m a big fan of the warm golden-brown tones of September and autumn in the Sierra. With all of that in mind, how could I resist this subject?

I was in Tuolumne Meadows for a couple of nights in mid-September, with two main goals in mind. First, I wanted to spend a few days at altitude before heading over to the east side to meet friends for a short pack trip up into McGee Canyon. Second – or perhaps this should be first – I wanted to do some photography in the area along Tioga Pass Road between roughly Olmsted Point and the pass itself. I arrived late the first day, with just enough time to set up camp, grab something to eat, and head out to shoot the evening light. I was up reasonably early the next morning and out and about looking for subjects before the sun came up. I decided to stick fairly close to the meadows this time, and after heading to the west end and looking back I saw this beautiful warm light coming across the meadow as the sun topped the crest near Mount Dana, and silhouetting a small group of tall trees at the meadow’s edge.

Commentary, Locations

Almost Time for Eastern Sierra Aspen Color

September 17, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Aspen Thicket, Bishop Creek - Bright yellow autumn leaves festoon a dense aspen thicket along Bishop Creek near South Lake, California. — Aspen Thicket, Bishop Creek – Bright yellow autumn leaves festoon a dense aspen thicket along Bishop Creek near South Lake, California.

Earlier today I posted my first photos of fall color from the 2012 season, so it seems like a good time to re-share my overview of photographing the Eastern Sierra aspen color, “Sierra Nevada Fall Color – Coming Sooner Than You Think!” The article gives a general outline of where you might look for aspen color in areas from about Carson Pass south to just below Bishop, and also goes into some ideas, both technical and aesthetic, about how you might photograph this subject. I first posted the article three years ago, and I’ve updated it each year since then.

The “coming sooner than you think” part of the article’s title seems especially appropriate this year. Although one can never be absolutely certain how the color change will play out or when it will start and end, there are signs that things may be a bit different this year. The main thing is that some color seems to have appeared a bit earlier than usual. I found some interesting color (though distinctly short of peak color) on a three-day backpacking trip into McGee Canyon on September 14-16 this year – and that seems significantly earlier than I normally expect. I have also heard some second- and third-hand reports of a bit of interesting color already developing in a few other aspen areas.

(9/25/12 update: Various sources who have been in the Sierra since I wrote the original post or who are there now are generally reporting that the color transition has indeed begun a bit ahead of schedule this season. While the progress of aspen color can never be precisely predicted, I’d plan on erring on the side of arriving a bit early this year – in fact, that’s precisely what I plan to do!)

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: sierra

Tuolumne Meadows, Lembert Dome, and Mount Dana

Trees and Cliff, Morning

Trees and Meadow, Morning

Almost Time for Eastern Sierra Aspen Color

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