Tag Archives: snow

Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley

Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley
Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. February 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I’m always looking for different views of the famous – and quite obvious – subjects in The Valley such as Yosemite Falls. Here I was intrigued by the shapes of leafless winter trees with snow in the foreground and the falls and cliffs in the background.

Normally, one would probably regard this as a poorly lit photo of the falls. However, at least in my view, the effect is to treat the typically-central waterfall as part of the background and instead draw attention to the forms of the trees, whose shapes echo the curves of the cliffs and the shadow line across the falls.

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Morning Light and Snow, Yosemite Valley

YosemiteValleyMornSnow2006|03|04: Morning Light and Snow. Yosemite Valley. March 4, 2006. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell". ("sales")    keywords: yosemite valley new snow winter morning blue sky bridalveil fall el capitan half dome wawona tunnel view california color photograph

Morning Light and Snow. Yosemite Valley. March 4, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest
Dawn light on the snow-dusted Sierra Nevada crest along the northeastern boundary of Yosemite National Park

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn light on the snow-dusted Sierra Nevada crest along the northeastern boundary of Yosemite National Park.

After my first night camping on the East Side during this year’s autumn aspen color season, I got up before dawn, broke camp and loaded my vehicle, and was on the road before sunrise. My plan was to head down US 395 to a more southerly location where I was sure I would be able to access high elevation trees that often are the first to turn colors. The drive began with a short road taking me back to the main highway, and as I passed thought cattle country here I realized that it was only 19 degrees outside. That was a bit of a shock to a person who had only recently experienced 90 degree weather back home!

The actual realization of the cold arrived after I stopped to make this photograph. The light waits for no one, so when I saw that it was about to strike these high peaks along the northeast Yosemite National Park boundary I pulled over and got ready to photograph. And, boy was it cold — a good reminder to keep jacket, gloves, and other warm gear handy for the rest of this visit.


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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