Tag Archives: trees

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trees in Morning Light

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Trees in Morning Light
Trees in monring light, backed by rocky slopes, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Trees in Morning Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Trees in morning light, backed by rocky slopes, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Have I mentioned that I like backlight and that I especially like trees in morning backlight? Well, yes, I think I have. Even more, I like this subject when the background is filled by distant, rocky mountain slopes in shadow. This little group of trees was nestled against a rocky promontory not far from our camp.

After nearly two days of rain, this was the first morning when we had sun. All of us were more than ready for this development, and soon everyone was out and about, enjoying the dry weather and warm light. (We also continued to be impressed by the unusually high creek levels and the nearby lake that was now completely full of sediment washed down from the peaks.)

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: Sierra Nevada

Forest and Meadow, Morning Light

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Forest and Meadow, Morning Light
The first morning light on a subalpine forest and meadow below rugged High Sierra peaks.

Forest and Meadow, Morning Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The first morning light on a subalpine forest and meadow below rugged High Sierra peaks.

Earlier this week we returned from an extended backcountry visit with friends and fellow photographers. Our goal was to explore and photograph the area around our basecamp… and to spend quality time hanging out during the times of day when the light was less compelling. (Our goal was not to experience the worst Sierra thunderstorm I’ve ever seen, but I digress…) We stayed near a subalpine lake, and from there we wandered off to higher places every day, in search of scenery and light.

Not far above our camp the terrain opened up into glacial bowls that gradually rose above timberline — my favorite sort of Sierra country! On several mornings I followed one of these up a succession of meadows and forested knolls toward the high peaks beyond. I made this photograph just as the first morning light glanced across a rise with larger trees while the more distant slopes remained in shadow.

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 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: Sierra Nevada

Treeline Meadow

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Treeline Meadow
A green mid-summer subalpine Sierra Nevada meadow surrounded by glaciated granite and sparse trees.

Treeline Meadow. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A green mid-summer subalpine Sierra Nevada meadow surrounded by glaciated granite and sparse trees.

We recently returned from a week in the Eastern Sierra backcountry, base-camping with good friends and fellow photographers in an area of exceptional beauty and photographic opportunities. I made this photograph one morning in an area of extensive meadows a short distance from our home base. I always think of scenes like this as epitomizing the “range of light” Sierra — high, open country on comfortable, sunny days.

Truth be told, in addition to these conditions, we also encountered some extraordinary weather that was unusual for this time of year. Within the first hours of arriving here a powerful electrical storm arrived and pinned us down in tents for hours as lightning flashed, thunder boomed, rain and hail poured down, and the landscape flooded. I don’t recall a similar summer experience in these mountains in decades of backcountry travel.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

High Country Sunset

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High Country Sunset
Sunset light on trees along the shoreline of an alpine lake below talus fields.

High Country Sunset. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Sunset light on trees along the shoreline of an alpine lake below talus fields.

This is the highest of a small series of three Yosemite backcountry lakes — the lowest in forest, the middle right below steeping terrain, and this highest lake surrounded by alpine meadows and rocky slopes and ridges. When I visit I usually camp at the lowest lake and then day-hike to the upper at the times of best light.

This time I went up late in the day, planning to stay through sunset and then hike back down to my camp in the gathering darkness. This lake sits just below a high, shattered ridge covered with slabs, talus, and boulders. It catches the late light and produces a wonderful backdrop to the lake, the green shoreline meadows, and the trees catching the golden hour colors.

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.