Tag Archives: slope

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

Meadow and Sunset Trees

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Meadow and Sunset Trees
“Meadow and Sunset Trees” — Two trees standing in a subalpine Sierra Nevada meadow catch the last rays of the day’s sun.

Back on July first I wandered through parts of a nearly-deserted Tuolumne Meadows late in the day. Since the campground was still closed, I camped just outside the park. For that reason and due to summer restrictions on vehicle traffic, the meadow was nearly deserted by the end of the day. I photographed these two trees as the day’s last light hit them.

Chasing the last light of the day at sunset in Tuolumne Meadows is a bit of a challenge. Because the meadow is nearly wide open on an almost east/west axis. the low angle light can traverse most of its length late in the day. But that also means that the sunlight disappears suddenly if you are near the east end. If you want to photograph the colors of the last few minutes of warm light, you have to work quickly!

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Layered Autumn Aspen Groves

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Layered Autumn Aspen Groves
“Layered Autumn Aspen Groves” — Groves of Sierra Nevada aspen trees at various stages of autum color transformation.

As I look back on this year’s autumn aspen photography one theme that emerges (which I wasn’t aware of when I was in the field) is groves that encompass a wide range of foliage color. At the right moments and in the right places you can sometimes see simultaneously all of the states of the autumn leaf transition, from green trees through yellow, orange, and red… and even some bare trees. (I suspect that the tall, leafless trees in this scene are old, dead snags.)

This photograph provides another opportunity to mention my preferred light for this subject. I tend to stay away from the bright midday sun, with the exception of a few photographs in which it backlights the trees. I much prefer somewhat soft light from slightly overcast skies or the shadows of morning and evening. I made this photograph under broken clouds, which retained a bit of the directional quality of the late-day light.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Morning Shadows and Symmetry

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Morning Shadows and Symmetry
“Morning Shadows and Symmetry” — The line between morning light and shadow descends a talus slope toward a lake, revealing mirror image symmetries.

Getting out of your tent before dawn isn’t easy when it is cold and dark outside and you have to leave a warm sleeping bag. But if you don’t rise early you miss some of the most sublime moments of the day in the high country. And, I promise, once you are up and about you’ll be glad that you made the effort.

On this morning it was almost too dark to photograph when I unzipped the tent, and for the first half hour or longer I photographed in the soft blue hour light. Eventually the first direct sunlight touched peaks high above me and gradually worked its way down the steep slopes toward “my” lake. (At about the time I made this photograph, my non-photographer backcountry partners were starting to awaken in their tents on the peninsula at the right.)

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Aspens In The Shadows

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Aspens In The Shadows
“Aspens In The Shadows” — Extensive autumn aspen groves in evening shadows, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

If you have been following along this fall, by now this general area may start to look familiar to you. I was fortunate to be there when the colors were at their peak — that brief interval when almost all of the leaves have turned but before too many of them fall. Finding trees in this condition is partly a matter of local knowledge, but it is also a matter of luck — autumn storms and wind can quickly take down a lot of leaves when they are at this stage, and seeing an intense display like this requires a few prior days of calm conditions.

I know that the typical inclination is to photograph these trees in daylight. After all, the most intense colors appear when the sun is behind the groves, creating a glowing backlight on the leaves. But the color can also be quite intense in softer light, such as this light in the early evening.

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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