Tag Archives: trees

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Doorway, Arezzo, Italy

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Doorway, Arezzo, Italy
“Doorway, Arezzo, Italy” — Doorway and wall on a side street in Arezzo, Italy.

We came to this scene during a long exploratory walk. Our lodgings were in the lower part of old Arezzo, and as we walked into the old business area the streets began to ascend. There were people about, but it was nothing like the crowds in tourist centers like Florence, from which we had just arrived. Eventually we arrived at Arezzo’s Grand Piazza, but we kept going, right up to the old wall at the crest of the hill. We followed this to the left, stopping to enter an old church. As we came out I saw this little scene, which seems so characteristically Italian.

The building was on a small square near the entrance to the church. It had the features that are common here, including the stonework and the stucco walls, in one of the typical colors in these towns. (They tend toward earth tones of one sort or another.) As uncrowded as the lower town had been, here at the upper end we were almost alone.

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

Autumn Forest

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Autumn Forest
“Autumn Forest” — Autumn colors begin to appear in a Yosemite Valley forest.

This forest scene comes is on a little-used trail along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. It is a good distance from the major attractions that draw crowds, so it tends to be rather quiet. (Though you can hear the sounds of traffic passing nearby.) I spent some time here on an autumn day when the deciduous trees were turning subtle colors and beginning to drop their leaves.

Dense forest scenes like this one are often a challenge. There’s so much interesting stuff in them, but it can be difficult finding a composition among all of the details. One feature of these scenes is that they don’t immediately reveal all of their details, and it takes a bit of time to understand what you are seeing.

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

Tall Black Oaks, Autumn

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Tall Black Oaks, Autumn
“Tall Black Oaks, Autumn” — Tall black oak trees in autumn colors in Yosemite Valley.

I think I photographed these oak trees at just about the peak of their fall color, and I also managed to show up when the light was just right. Autumn oak leaves tend more toward brown than golden, but in the right kind of backlight they can glow and even produce a rich golden color. The light here was quite soft, which is also beneficial, but with cloud-softened light on the trees in the middle of the frame.

The meadows of Yosemite Valley are marvelous places, even if these days our access to them is more restricted than it once was. In winter they are quiet and often filled with morning ground fog. In the spring new growth bursts forth and they are very green places. In summer the grasses turn that “California gold” color as everything dries out. And for a short time in autumn the golden colors extend up into the tree tops.

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

Stream, Autumn Reflections

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Stream, Autumn Reflections
“Stream, Autumn Reflections” — An Eastern Sierra Nevada stream reflects autumn aspen colors.

This is an older photograph (by a year or so) of a stream that I have photographed before — and I have shared other photographs of it here. It is a spot that I frequently pass, often stopping but typically not photographing. In some ways the subject can seem like a bit of a one-trick pony, and it is often photographed in pretty much the same way. But I stopped on this afternoon and liked the light, especially the bright aspens and their reflection in the stream.

On a technical note, this is a somewhat challenging kind of photograph to make. The difficulty is that there is a huge range of luminosity values between the brightly sunlit golden aspen leaves and the much darker creek running through the shadows. In the early days of digital photography this might have required a blend of two or more images, each optimized for either the bright or dark tones. But with a modern camera it is now possible to capture a useful single exposure and post-process it while retaining good quality.

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.