Tag Archives: storm

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

Autumn Storm Clouds at Dawn – Basin Mountain and Mount Humphreys

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Autumn Storm Clouds at Dawn - Basin Mountain and Mount Humphreys

Autumn Storm Clouds at Dawn – Basin Mountain and Mount Humphreys. Sierra Nevada, California. October 3, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning light above the Buttermilks illumunates Basin Mountain and Mount Humphreys under the clouds of an early autumn storm over the Sierra Nevada crest.

This is another of several exposures I made on this beautiful early October morning when I decided to abandon my plans to be at North Lake for dawn after spotting these astonishing clouds over the eastern Sierra as I drove through the Buttermilks on my way up into the Bishop Creek drainage. I drove out on gravel roads into the high desert until I found what looked like an interesting juxtaposition of near hills, mountains beyond, the peaks of the Sierra in the distance, and the clouds that were dropping light snow up higher in the range above.

Needless to say, the light and the cloud forms were constantly changing as I watched this scene. I waited until the closer rocky hills began to pick up a bit of a glow from the sun low in the eastern sky, and then I made a number of exposures as the sun struck lower on the mountains and as the patterns of light and shadow from racing clouds moved across the peaks.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: basin, mountain, mount, humphreys, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, crest, buttermilk, high, desert, owens, valley, trees, rocks, boulders, morning, dawn, light, illuminate, black and white, dramatic, ridge, peak, shadow, storm, clouds, patterns, bishop, california, usa, eastern, slope, escarpment, season, fall, autumn, early, stock

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

Early Autumn Snow, Conway Summit

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Early Autumn Snow, Conway Summit

Early Autumn Snow, Conway Summit. Sierra Nevada, California. October 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Aspen trees begin to change color after an early autumn snow storm at Conway Summit, Sierra Nevada, California.

Back in September I began making plans to visit the eastern Sierra near the end of the month and during early October, and based on previous experience with fall Sierra aspen color I made some assumptions about when and where the color might be at its peak. This year has not evolved according to expectations. I would have expected the huge aspen groves below highway 395 at Conway Summit to be nearing or at peak color during the first weekend of October… but instead the trees here were largely still green with only a few spots of real color. It seems like the low and middle elevation aspens are behind schedule this year.

However, as if to temper the slight disappointment about the lack of brilliant colors, I did get to visit during an early fall cold snap and storm passage that dropped anywhere from a trace to a few inches of snow over a good portion of the Sierra – including the peaks above Conway Summit.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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keywords: aspen, color, green, yellow, green, gold, tree, grove, forest, brush, grass, meadow, hill, eastern, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, snow, snowfall, dusting, flurry, peak, sky, cloud, storm, bare, virginia, lake, road, highway, 395, lee vining, california, usa, season, fall, autumn, stock

Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Clearing Storm, Carson Peak and Grant Lake

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Clearning Storm, Carson Peak and Grant Lake

Clearing Storm, Carson Peak and Grant Lake. June Lakes Loop, California. June 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A late spring storm clears from the summit of Carson Peak above Grant Lake along the June Lakes Loop, California.

I’ll start by saying that I hope I have identified this peak correctly. I did not know its name when I made the photograph, and I think I’ve lined it up with the other geographic features on my map correctly – but if any one has a different ID on this peak please let me know.

I came to Grant Lake (which is actually, and obviously, a reservoir) from the back route, arriving by way of some dirt roads coming in from highway 395. I arrived at the dam and followed the road across, stopping in the middle to make some photographs when I saw this late light on the lake and shoreline with the peak gradually emerging from the remnants of this late-spring storm.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: late, spring, storm, clears, clearing, carson, peak, grant, lake, june, lakes, loop, road, reservoir, rock, peninsula, low, water, surface, boulder, sun, light, evening, eastern, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, ridge, shadow, tree, forest, rock, valley, tower, cloud, blue, sky, landscape, travel, scenic, stock

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Clearing Storm, Eastern Sierra Nevada

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Clearing Storm, Eastern Sierra Nevada

Clearing Storm, Eastern Sierra Nevada. Near Mono Lake, California. June 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The clouds of a late-spring storm along the Sierra Nevada crest clear as evening light illuminates sage-covered high desert slopes near Mono Lake.

Another photograph in this brief series of black and white images, this one was made very close to Mono Lake. If you have been to the famous (at least among sunrise photographers!) South Tufa area at Mono, you may know the road that departs highway 395 and heads east to that wonderful photo location. Between highway 395 and where the road drops down to the lake shore, it crosses a low ridge with good views in every direction but directly south. It was from here that I made this photograph – and a few others that may turn up here eventually.

Shooting Mono Lake late in the day can be a bit tricky since the light disappears behind the Sierra crest earlier than one might think. If the conditions are right an evening shot from Mono can be fine, but often the light is less challenging in the morning. On this afternoon I had first headed out to South Tufa, but decided that it wasn’t looking right – so I headed back up towards the June Lake loop. Once there the clouds over the crest began to break up, so after shooting some images in that area I headed back towards Mono. As I topped this hill before the descent to South Tufa I saw this wonderful back-light on the sage-covered foreground hills so I stopped right at the top of this hill and photographed this scene.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: sierra, nevada, range, mountains, eastern, slope, escarpment, crest, cirque, valley, snow, yosemite, mono, lake, south, tufa, recession, atmospheric, storm, clouds, flurry, field, sage, high, desert, hill, gully, valley, california, usa, scenic, travel, landscape, sky, evening, light, stock, black and white, clearing, spring, slope, forest