Tag Archives: summer

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Two Trees, Sierra Rain

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Two Trees, Sierra Rain
“Two Trees, Sierra Rain” — Two trees standing on a rocky outcropping as a Sierra Nevada summer rain storm sweeps across the mountains.

In some ways I was surprised to find these two trees standing here, among high rocks not far from our campsite. After a day of heavy weather, I thought about how they had managed to escape significant damage from years of exposure to winds, precipitation, and lightning strikes. But there they were, standing tall on this little ridge above a small meadow as another storm cleared.

These are not my favorite weather conditions for photography. While clear, blue-sky mountain days don’t usually excite me, photographing in the rain is challenging, too. And it was still raining when I made this photograph. After being tied down by the storm for the better part of a day, I think I was anxious enough to get out and photograph that I was willing to work in the wet.

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: New England

New Hampshire Forest

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New Hampshire Forest
“New Hampshire Forest” — Dense foliage in a southern New Hampshire forest.

We had never visited New Hampshire, or anyplace else in New England for that matter, until two years ago — when we went twice! The first visit was for a late-summer extended-family get-together at a place we rented just north of Wilmington. (The other trip was that October, when we went back for the fall colors.) I found this landscape both intriguing and sometimes frustratingly different from the Western landscapes I’m used to. This is a land of very dense deciduous forests. They are lovely, but not conducive to the sort of big landscape images that I often look for. But there are a lot of trees to photograph!

Eventually I decided to just head out on foot and explore some of the gravel roads that surrounded our lodgings. At first it was difficult to see much through the mass of very green vegetation, but eventually I started to see compositions. And I remembered that forest photography often benefits from softer light, at the edges of the day or under cloud cover. There was a high, thin overcast when I made this photograph, and it softened the light and allowed shadow detail to emerge.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Sierra Rain

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Sierra Rain
“Sierra Rain” — Gentle rain falls on granite mountains, sparse trees, and a meadow in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

It is easy to be a bit afraid of backcountry rain — worried that you might get your clothes wet, you could slip, it isn’t good for your gear. In our civilized lives we usually stay inside when it rains, and when we must go out we scurry between dry places. But when the rain comes to the mountains, at least in most cases, it can be better to embrace it. (Of course, it is also important to not get dangerously wet or cold!) Back in my serious bicycling days, those of us who rode all year long had a rain philosophy: “Once you are wet you are wet.” It reflected the recognition that — accounting for keeping warm enough — ultimately getting wet isn’t that big of a deal. And, yes, I was getting wet when I made this photograph.

We had been pretty much stuck in camp for close to 24 hours when a truly major weather system came through unexpectedly, Sending streams of water under our tents and raising nearby creeks. On the second day we were ready to get out and make some photographs, light rain be damned! I walked to a nearby high point with an open view of our alpine surroundings — and I stuck it out long enough to make this photograph of a squall working its way down from the ridges above.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Big Sur Haze

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Big Sur Haze
“Big Sur Haze” — Summer haze along rugged Big Sur coastline, California.

I drove down the Big Sur Coast on this mid-August morning, traveling as far as the point where the road is currently closed for landslide repair. A bit north of that I pulled out at a popular overlook where I have photographed before — there is a great view down the coast and past a series of big ridges descending to the water. I almost didn’t photograph, but as I looked at the scene I became interested in smaller sections of the larger view.

Typically when I have photographed here I have worked in vertical portrait mode so that I could include the more distant curve of the coast and an interesting “natural bridge” on some rocks to the right. I’ve often trued to exclude the foreground trees, but this time I thought that they might make a good foil to the haze-muted forms and textures of the more distant coastline at the upper right.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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