Tag Archives: snow

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photography and Music

Shoreline, Sunset

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Shoreline, Sunset
The shoreline of an alpine lake at sunset, Yosemite Naitonal Park.

Shoreline, Sunset. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The shoreline of an alpine lake at sunset, Yosemite Naitonal Park.

We were camped at a backcountry lake in northern Yosemite. Our group of photographers were there for a long enough period of time to photograph the lake itself and to explore the surrounding terrain — other lakes, talus fields, high ridges, and more. On this evening we all had the same idea — to follow the inlet stream of “our” lake up a slope toward the next higher lake in the drainage.

I made this photograph near the upper lake’s outlet, where the terrain flattened out and wetter, almost swampy areas surrounded the water. This spot, being higher than surrounding country, was fully open to the west and the low angle sun sloped across these small trees, standing against a background of a late-season snow field and the base of a rocky slope.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset

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Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset
The last light of the day touches the top of Sheep Peak in the McCabe Lakes Basin, Yosemite National Park.

Peak, Lake, and Boulders, Sunset. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last light of the day touches the top of a peak in the northern backcountry of Yosemite National Park.

This is not a new photograph — rather, it is a reconsideration of one that I made almost a decade ago and recently looked it with new eyes. The location is in the northern backcountry of Yosemite National Park, in a somewhat remote area characterized by high ridges, rocky terrains, and some lovely lakes. I was there with a group of friends and photographers for a few glorious days during which we took our time and explored the surrounding terrain.

We were camped at a lower lake among forest trees, in a location that gave us shelter but also access to tons of higher, more alpine terrain. Often we headed off individually to photograph, but on this late afternoon we all headed to the same place, ascending a slope at the upper end of “our” lake to arrive at the next lake up the valley. Sequences of lakes like this are common in many backcountry areas, and I enjoy the individual personalities of the lakes as they are affected by terrain and elevation. This lake was surrounded by alpine meadows, very small and sparse trees, lots of talus, and towering peaks.

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: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Goose Quartet

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Snow Goose Quartet
Four snow geese in flight against blue sky.

Snow Goose Quartet. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Four snow geese in flight against blue sky.

There was a time when migratory bird photography for me was all about the geese. Their autumn arrival still is the signal that brings me back to the migratory bird areas of Central and Northern California, though I have so many photographs of geese now that it is challenging to find a new away to see them! (Often the photographs end up being as much about the place of the birds in the landscape as about the birds themselves.)

This years “goose photography season” is rapidly drawing to a close, and I expect the flocks to depart for the arctic any day now. (They were still there late last week, but a year ago they were gone by the end of the second week of the month.) I managed to isolate this small group out of a much larger flock, and they obliged by holding formation long enough to make this photograph.

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: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Seen Any Geese?

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Seen Any Geese?
A gigantic flock of (mostly) snow geese over a wetland pond.

Seen Any Geese?. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gigantic flock of (mostly) snow geese over a wetland pond.

That’s the question. Seen any geese? A few actually. A few thousand. Or perhaps a few ten-thousand. These are among the many birds that migrate south into the continental US in the winter — these travel from the arctic via the Pacific Flyway and then overwinter in various areas in California. I usually don’t photograph them in this sort of midday light, but I decided that I do find the overall blue-ness of this scene to be attractive.

How does a scene like this happen? Initially a large group of thousands of geese is on the ground or in a shallow pond. Not much seems to be going on until all of a sudden many or all of them suddenly take to the air with a tremendous sound of rushing wings. The instigation is not always clear, but it could be a predator flying over, and I’ve seen it happen in response to things like low-flying aircraft. After the initial take-off, the flock may wheel around in expanding circles and spread to cover the sky until they eventually find a new place to settle.

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.