Tag Archives: trees

River And Autumn Trees

River And Autumn Trees
“River And Autumn Trees” — Autumn trees change colors along banks of the Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

While I wrote elsewhere that this end-of-October fall color visit to Yosemite focused on more intimate landscapes, this one might seem like an exception, given that the trees are across the river and there is a rather large cliff beyond. OK, it isn’t exactly “intimate by the usual standards…” but if you knew what I left out of this photograph you might forgive me! This is a spot in the Valley where you might typically photograph some of those larger, monumental subjects.

I had passed this spot without stopping earlier in the day, so when I came by again later on I was prepared to pause and photograph. This is a narrower section of the Valley, and those trees grow on the opposite bank of the Merced River. We see several of the sources of Yosemite autumn color here including the golden-brown black oak trees and the brilliant yellow big leaf maples.


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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Forest With Autumn Leaves

Forest With Autumn Leaves
“Forest With Autumn Leaves” — Autumn leaves on black oak and big leaf maple trees add color to a Yosemite Valley forest.

I enjoy the challenge of trying to make compositions out of very busy, complex scenes. There are plenty of such scenes in typical forest settings, where the amount of detail can be overwhelming, and it can take me a while to find something that works. Often I wander through such places just looking and using a framing card to check photograph potential. At some point, things fall into place.

I already knew of this spot where reflections from a cliff across Yosemite Valley send soft light into the forest and especially to the tall trees at the right. On the last day of October, autumn leaves were sprinkled throughout the scene, too. This feels like a quintessential autumn photograph of the Valley. It is not generally a place of vast forests of color — more common are conifer forests interrupted by intense color from scattered deciduous trees.


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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Trees and Reflection

Trees and Reflection
“Trees and Reflection” — Trees in morning light are reflected in the surface of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

There is a wonderful morning moment in the mountains when the sun finally rises above surrounding high ridges and the first direct light strikes trees and meadows and rocks. Not only is the warmth appreciated, but when the light strikes trees from behind it sets them off against the still-shaded mountain slopes.

Of course, you do have to get up early to see this. And I can attest to how difficult it can be to struggle out of a warm sleeping bag in the dark, dress in the cold, and leave that comfortable tent. But I guarantee that the results are almost always worth the effort.


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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Trunks and Needles (Vertical)

Trunks and Needles (Vertical)
“Trunks and Needles (Vertical)” — Trunks and needles at the base of a small copse of Sierra Nevada backcountry trees.

This photograph is the companion to one of the same subject that I shared a while ago — that one was in landscape (or wide) orientation, while this one is in portrait mode. I photographed the bases of these closely-spaced trees during a short backpacking trip into the Sierra Nevada east of Yosemite National Park back in July.

These pines (lodgepole) are ubiquitous in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, and their form varies greatly depending on things like the elevation, the nature of the ground they grow on, and available moisture. While they can form forests of tall and straight trees, they can also adopt the twisted and bent forms typical of high elevations trees.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.