Tag Archives: trail

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

Tree And Boulder

March 5, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A curving tree and a large boulder along a Yosemite Valley trail

One of the pluses about having a full week in Yosemite (during my recent Yosemite Renaissance artist residency was that I had more time to slowly explore places I might have otherwise missed during a visit with a more compressed timeline. On a short visit it is easy to feel the pressure to make the very best use of limited time and head straight for (what one hopes will be!) “sure bets.” With more time available that pressure is gone, and there is more time to slow down and give in to the rhythms of the place. On this afternoon I took a slow, relaxed walk along a familiar but less-used trail along the base of granite cliffs. On this winter day I hardly saw anyone else there.

A few other things come to mind as I look at this photograph. One surprise is how much this relatively dry and rock place suggests an almost jungle-like mood! I can assure you that it is not such a place, but right here the terrain and forest is a bit thick and complex. Secondly, it is probably obvious that relationships between shapes play a big role in this photograph. The boulder by itself might not be that remarkable, especially in a landscape littered with such boulders. But located beneath the curving tree, whose form echoes that of the boulder, it becomes more of a focal point.

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

Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow

March 3, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

New snow partially covers autumn oak leaves along a Yosemite Valley trail

Sometimes in California I can experience at least three seasons on the same day. (I’ve occasionally wondered if I could cram evidence of all four into a single photograph, but so far haven’t figure out how.) For example, it isn’t impossible to find a scene that includes brown autumn leaves, snow, and new growth. A hot autumn day might include fall colors and perhaps a recent snow flurry on high peaks. Travel less than 100 miles from an inland area to the Northern California coast and go from 100+ degree temperatures to cold and wet enough that you might want a pair of gloves. Descend from a snowy peak, through forest, and end up in desert.

By those standards, this photograph perhaps falls short, as only two seasons are represented — the winter snow flurry and the brown leaves of autumn oak trees. It was not snowing as I made the photography, but it had snowed just a few hours earlier here in Yosemite Valley, and as I hiked along the base of granite cliffs and past conifers and oaks there were still places where the snow had not melted.

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Autumn Leaves, Yosemite

November 10, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Fallen big leaf maple leaves along a Yosemite Valley trail

I suppose it would not truly be autumn without at least one photograph of fallen leaves littering the forest floor! I made this photograph on a walk along the south side of a quiet section of trail in Yosemite Valley where big leaf maple trees grow. Along with black oaks and dogwoods, these trees produce some of the most interesting fall colors in The Valley. The big leaf maples often grow among conifers and in autumn their brilliant yellow leaves contrast with the darker and more somber tones of the other forest trees.

Just before I made this photograph I had been looking for the actual trees, and trying to find some that were separated enough from their surroundings to stand out in a photograph. In this particular location that turned out to be difficult. There were some lovely big leaf maples, but the lighting was a challenge and they often were too interspersed with dense forest. At about that point I thought to look down, and I saw thick piles of the large leaves alongside the trail.

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

Big Leaf Maple, Forest Trail

November 5, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A forest trail winds past big leaf maple trees with fall colors in Yosemite Valley

This was a busy day! I described it in an earlier post, but here is a brief recap. I started in Oakhurst before dawn, heading out to photograph sunrise at Glacier Point — but I didn’t make it after I became distracted by a lovely forest scene along the way. Then I photographed wildfire smoke east of Glacier Point, returned to The Valley to shoot fall color, lost patience with the crowds and smoke, headed to Tioga Pass, and ended the day photographing sunset light on snow-dusted granite slabs. Whew!

In the middle of the day I spent a brief time in The Valley before heading back to the high country. The crowds were shocking, especially for this late October date. I left my car and headed out on foot, going into an area with lots of big leaf maple trees. This is also a location where I know I can find not only a bit of solitude but also some very special light. Here the forest sometimes opens toward a very large expanse of vertical granite, and this rock acts as a gigantic reflector, casting soft light back into shaded areas along the opposite canyon wall. It was here that I stopped to photograph this quiet little autumn scene, with a deserted trail passing through the open forest.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: trail

Tree And Boulder

Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow

Autumn Leaves, Yosemite

Big Leaf Maple, Forest Trail

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.