Tag Archives: valley

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

Autumn Path

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Autumn Path
“Autumn Path” — A trail, covered by fallen leaves, winds through autumn forest, Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite Valley can be uncomfortably crowded, but there are ways to find quiet and tranquility. One is to avoid summer, with its heat and oppressive crowds — all three of the other seasons are more interesting, and less busy. Or get away from the prime iconic sights and sites. Often it takes little more than a few minutes of walking to find yourself in a place with a tiny fraction of the number of people you see in the crowded places.

I have a few favorite such places, typically along quieter trails in less busy parts of the Valley. This one tracks along a peaceful section of the Merced River, and for a week or two in autumn it is filled with subtle autumn colors and the ground is covered with fallen leaves. Yes, there is a trail in this photograph, but you may have to look closely to spot it under all of those leaves!

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, Photographs: Yosemite

Oaks, Meadow, Drifting Smoke

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Oaks, Meadow, Drifting Smoke
“Oaks, Meadow, Drifting Smoke” — Smoke from a management fire drifts among autumn black oak trees in Yosemite Valley.

This photograph and the circumstances that led to it are a reminder about how things sometimes turn out differently than you might expect. I had left for Yosemite Valley hours before sunrise, planning to arrive in time to photograph in early morning light. Everything was going fine until I got into the lower Valley and discovered that smoke from a managed fire was blanketing the subject! I was quite disappointed as I drove along the south side of the Valley. But there I was, and there the smoke was, and I was there to make photographs — so I decided to see what possibilities might remain.

I crossed over to the north side of the valley, and looked back into the sunlight and these trees silhouetted in the drifting smoke, which was now glowing in the backlight from sunlight coming over the Valley rim. The backlight made the brown autumn oak leaves glow, and the slowly drifting smoke constantly altered the landscape, sometimes revealing and sometimes hiding features.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

East Side Morning

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East Side Morning
“East Side Morning” — Early morning light on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada near Parker Pass.

There are few sights more beautiful and spectacular than a shoulder-season sunrise on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada. Believe me, it is well worth getting up long before sunrise and putting on all of your warm clothes! Many of the best views on these mornings are from a distance away from the base of the mountains, where you have a clear view that stretches from the high desert at the base of the range right on up to rugged, snow-covered summits.

While my main goal for heading out there in late September and early October is to photograph the changing fall colors, the light and atmosphere change, too as summer fades and autumn arrives. When I went there on this visit I had just returned from two-and-a-half months of overseas travel, and I was missing “my Sierra!” I headed into the high country to set up camp, and from there I wandered on foot and by vehicle — and on this morning my wandering took me out into the high desert east of the range before dawn.

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.

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

Autumn Black Oak Trees

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Autumn Black Oak Trees
“Autumn Black Oak Trees” — Autumn black oak trees in a Yosemite Valley meadow.

When we think of fall colors, most often trees like maples or (in the West) aspens come to mind, not oak trees. But in the right light the black oaks of Yosemite Valley can put on quite an autumn color show. While the leaves tend more toward brown than yellow, when backlit they glow and the yellow tones predominate. I photographed these trees in soft backlight, and the color shift is clear.

Oaks are common all over California and the Sierra foothills, but there are some special circumstances in Yosemite Valley that enhance their appearance. Obviously, simply being in this place has some advantages! But because its cliffs are so tall, beams of sunlight appear and disappear as they move around the Valley, highlighting the trees in fascinating ways. Here a bit of light from the top of the background cliffs illuminates these trees, while the more distant forest remains in the shade.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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