Tag Archives: subalpine

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Subalpine Meadow, Forest, and Peaks

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Subalpine Meadow, Forest, and Peaks
At the edge of a subalpine meadow, surrounded by forest and high peaks

Subalpine Meadow, Forest, and Peaks. John Muir Wilderness, California. September 1, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

At the edge of a subalpine meadow, surrounded by forest and high peaks

I’ll have to go back and look through a week’s worth of photographs to see if I’m just imagining it, but it seemed to me that we could almost watch the high meadows start to change from green to golden during this late-season trip into the John Muir Wilderness. It was surprisingly green when we arrived about a week from the end of August — the surroundings looked more like perhaps lake July of a normal year, with lush green vegetation in the meadows and extraordinary numbers of blooming wildflowers. One doesn’t typically go to the Sierra near the beginning of September to photograph wildflowers, but that was quite possible this year. But by the first days of September, a week later, it seemed like the usual transition from green to golden was finally happening.

We were also fortunate to experience “interesting” weather, which is not always a sure bet in the Sierra. Talk to a few long-time High Sierra photographers and you’ll hear griping about the terrible, awful “week of boring blue skies!” That may seem like an odd complaint to those who frequently must photograph through challenging weather, but we can be frustrated by too much blue sky! We did have these conditions on this trip, but we also had clouds and rain, including one surprise after-dark shower. The clouds in this photograph are small, but it was still morning — such clouds are often the harbingers of afternoon thunder showers.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

High Country Meadow, Evening Light

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High Country Meadow, Evening Light
Late-day light on a stormy evening high in the John Muir Wilderness

High Country Meadow, Evening Light. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late-day light on a stormy evening high in the John Muir Wilderness

For more than the past week, we occupied a Sierra Nevada backcountry landscape full of surprises and riches — more than enough variety of conditions and subjects to keep us busy. A group of eight of us hiked over a 12,000+’ Sierra crest pass (with assistance from pack train support) and set up a base camp from which we set out each day to explore and photograph the spectacular surroundings. The pleasures of such a trip extend beyond photography — to include contemplation of this landscape, occasionally without a camera, and the joy of sharing the high country with a small circle of like-minded friends. This time it was even more special, as Patricia Mitchell returned to the back-country with me for the first time in many years.

I made this photograph on an evening when late day sunlight filled this subalpine meadow and storm clouds cast shadows over the distant peaks. There was a trail to this meadow, but it was hardly necessary, and once in the meadow we were free to explore all of it and the surrounding domes and peaks — which we did on many mornings and evenings. Those with Sierra Nevada high country experience may be surprised that this photograph was made near the end of August when meadows are typically turning golden brown. Last winter’s extraordinary snowfall delayed the onset of summer conditions, and the meadows were still green and wildflowers were everywhere.

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Evening Shadows, Meadow and Forest

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Evening Shadows, Meadow and Forest
Long evening shadows cross a boulder-flled subalpine Sierra Nevada meadow

Evening Shadows, Meadow and Forest. Yosemite National Park, California. July 26, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Long evening shadows cross a boulder-flled subalpine Sierra Nevada meadow

I love the evening light in this giant subalpine meadow — and probably in just about any such place in the Sierra. But this one is large and open to the sun from the west, so in the right places the light sticks around a while and eventually trees cast long shadows across many of the open areas.

Earlier in the day there had been a threat of weather, and thunderstorms were beginning to dissipate at sundown. I wandered the edges of the meadow a bit, enjoying the remaining clouds and thinking about how I could photograph this warm evening light. All of the layers (except the river!) are in this little scene: the meadow itself, the old boulders set in the meadow and poking up to catch a bit of light, the long shadows, the forest on the hills beyond, and finally the evening sky.

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Dawn Reflections

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Dawn Reflections
The quiet morning surface of a subalpine lake reflects the slopes of a Sierra Nevada mountain

Dawn Reflections. Hoover Wilderness, California. August 7, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The quiet morning surface of a subalpine lake reflects the slopes of a Sierra Nevada mountain

In early August I had the opportunity to join a group of friends for a brief backpack trip up to the Sierra Crest in the Hoover Wilderness Area along the northeastern Yosemite boundary. We packed a lot of variety into a short trip — starting at the lower end of an east side canyon and culminating along the still-snowy crest, experiencing typical Sierra summer blue sky and hours of heavy rain, seeing beautiful wildflower displays fed by strong run-off streams, and dealing with the inevitable clouds of mosquitos. This wasn’t primarily a photographic expedition for me, but almost any backcountry travel is going to include some photography, so I carried a smaller and lighter kit that still allowed me to photograph a few things.

I made this photograph very early in the morning. The rest of my group did not share my early morning habits, so when I got up and left my tent before dawn I was alone. I walked to the top of a nearby promontory from which I could overlook the lake and its surroundings as the first light arrived. I am always struck by the immense quiet and stillness found in such places in the very early morning. The air was still and the lake’s surface smooth — no one else was yet out and about, and nothing was moving aside from an occasional fish rising to feed. As the sun slowing spread across the shoulder of the peak on the other side of the lake I photographed for nearly an hour before returning to camp, where my hiking partners were just beginning to stir.

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.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.