Tag Archives: trees

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Yosemite Valley Forest

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Yosemite Valley Forest
A Yosemite Valley forest of conifers and spring dogwood trees.

Yosemite Valley Forest. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A Yosemite Valley forest of conifers and spring dogwood trees.

In an earlier post I described my “typical day” on one of my long, one-day visits to the Sierra. (I don’t recommend this approach, and I’d rather have had time to stay longer — but it was a choice between a quick visit and no visit.) I mentioned that, unsurprisingly, the early morning and evening hours are the most conducive to photography. But if I keep at it during the midday hours I can usually find some things that are worth the effort.

I made this photograph on a midday ramble. The goal was partly to scout potential subjects for later in the day, partly to enjoy a walk, and partly to make a few photographs if anything turned up. I stopped on a bridge over the snowmelt-swollen Merced River and as I contemplated the scene I thought this little bit of Yosemite Valley forest looked interesting with its tall conifers, open light, and scattered blooming dogwood trees.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall

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Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall
Bridal Veil Fall, beyond the Merced River and silhouetted trees.

Trees, Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Bridal Veil Fall, beyond the Merced River and silhouetted trees.

Something tells me that I am not the first person to photograph this waterfall between these trees — but it was there and I was there, so I made a photograph. I like the fact that the waterfall is almost an afterthought, a minor element in a scene that is mostly about other things — especially the silhouettes of these trees and the reflections on the high water in the Merced River.

Speaking of that water… near the end of spring the water levels in Yosemite Valley were nothing short of amazing. There have been past floods when the water levels were a bit higher, but I’m not aware of a recent season when sustained water flow was this powerful or high. Everywhere meadows are flooded, rivers are nearly out of their banks, and waterfalls are roaring.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees and Boulders

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Trees and Boulders
Trees grow behind a large boulder below Yosemite Valley cliffs.

Trees and Boulders. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Trees grow behind a large boulder below Yosemite Valley cliffs.

This photograph and its companion (to be published here within a day) are both black and white — which I suppose connects to my earliest roots as a photographer. Decades ago when I was a child my father encouraged me and my siblings to make photographs, first using old-school Brownie cameras and later graduating to his loaners. Before long he took us into his home darkroom (a temporarily converted bathroom) and taught us to make prints. He also had a collection of photography books on a shelf that I could reach. The first landscape photograph I recall making — black and white of course — was in Yosemite Valley.

This one comes from my late May epic one-day up-and-back trip to photograph in the Valley. While the best light is early and late, on these quick visits there’s no time to waste, and I keep at it almost all day long. I made this photograph in the mid-afternoon, beneath cliffs on the north side of the Valley. This photograph posed a significant technical challenge, as the difference between the deeply shaded rock face and the brightly lit clouds at upper right was extreme. What to do? Approach like any old school photographer and make an exposure with sufficient image data to bring it to life in post!

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs

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Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs
A green springtime meadow near the base of steep Yosemite Valley granite cliffs.

Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A green springtime meadow near the base of steep Yosemite Valley granite cliffs.

While clear, sharp-edged light and atmosphere are great when I want to show detail and/or photograph something a long ways off, soft and low-contrast light with a bit of haze is often more evocative. That’s what you see in this photograph, made near the end of the day as the sun was low, its light filtered through afternoon haze and muting the colors just a bit.

This is not exactly an iconic spot in Yosemite Valley, but it is one that I often return to. Depending upon the season and the conditions there may be a variety of opportunities here. There’s a small meadow with a seasonal pond (flooded right now!) and it provides views of the surrounding cliffs. Forest surrounds the meadow and ascends the lower cliffs. And even though a Valley roadway isn’t far away, a short walk here brings quiet.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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