Tag Archives: sun

Middle Cathedral and El Capitan Meadow, Spring

Lower Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan Meadow, Spring

Lower Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan Meadow, Spring. Yosemite Valley, California. May 10, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early spring view of the trees and new grass of El Capitan with the lower face of Middle Cathedral and the Yosemite Valley rim beyond.

El Capitan Meadow is one of my favorite places to photograph in Yosemite – at just about any time of year, at any time of day, and in any conditions. This photograph was made on a beautiful early spring morning as the new spring growth was just beginning to show – the grasses are just coming up in the meadow and the trees are beginning to leaf out. Beyond the meadow is the smooth face of Middle Cathedral facing the morning light, and beyond that is a shaded portion of the south Valley rim.

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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Dogwood Blossoms and Branch

Dogwood Blossoms and Branch

Dogwood Blossoms and Branch. Yosemite Valley, California. May 10, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring dogwood tree blossoms and leaves in Yosemite Valley.

Yes, another dogwood… but, hey, it is spring and the dogwoods are (or were) blooming! These were photographed in Yosemite Valley in early May of this year on an intense one-day photography trip to The Valley. I shot this one during more or less the midday hours, rather than during the more typical early/late light. However, this has its advantages, too, if one can find good shade with open illumination. The color balance at this time of day seems to go more toward balanced white and the broken and filtered light on the ground makes an interesting background.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

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Dogwood Blossom, Branches, and Leaves

Dogwood Blossom, Branches, and Leaves

Dogwood Blossom, Branches, and Leaves. Yosemite Valley, California. May 9, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A spring dogwood blossom cradled in dogwood leaves and branches, Yosemite Valley.

I photographed this single dogwood blossom nestled among branches and leaves against the background of a shaded tree trunk. I found this flower in upper Yosemite Valley right beside the road/trail to Mirror Lake. Although I shot in the middle of the afternoon – not exactly a time of favorable light – the forest canopy was thick enough here to diffuse the light.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

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Dogwood Blossoms and Leaves

Dogwood Blossoms and Leaves

Dogwood Blossoms and Leaves. Yosemite Valley, California. May 9, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring dogwood tree blossoms and new leaves, Yosemite Valley.

I found this pair of dogwood blossoms and the accompanying diagonal arrangement of new leaves when I left the crowded “Mirror Lake Trail” (which is, in reality, a road…) and instead walked the parallel and much more attractive footpath through the forest. It can be hard to get a full view of the dogwood flowers from above since the great majority of the flowers grow above eye level. Here I found a large boulder parked next to a tree, and while the leaves were a good distance up in the tree, by climbing onto the boulder and setting my tripod up on top I was able to find a good high position to photograph them.

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: california, sierra nevada, travel, Yosemite, valley, national, park, usa, dogwood, tree, leaf, bloom, blossom, bracht, petal, white, leaf, leaves, branch, dark, forest, bokeh, sun, light, nature, scenic, mirror lake, trail, sun, sierra, nevada, mountians, stock