Tag Archives: valley

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

The Old Oak Tree

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The Old Oak Tree
“The Old Oak Tree” — An old oak tree with autumn foliage, Yosemite Valley.

While this big oak tree grows in a meadow filled with scores of other beautiful oaks, it presents a different appearance than its neighbors. The other trees, perhaps because many of them grow close together, tend to be somewhat tall and slender. But this tree is massive, with thick trunk and main branches, and it spreads widely — enough so that it is as wide as it is tall.

One of Yosemite Valley’s monumental granite faces rises nearby behind this tree and its neighbors. Because that face is tall and to the south, its shadow falls across the trees for hours every day. I photographing it after the late-day shadow had arrived, which gives a softness to the image that would not be there in full sunlight.

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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.

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

Autumn Flowers

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Autumn Flowers
“Autumn Flowers” — Autumn flowers scattered across a Yosemite Valley meadow.

The fall colors brought me to Yosemite Valley for a few days at the end of October. But autumn there isn’t just abut those colors — everything about the place is different during this season. The Valley seems to slow down and mellow out, and I sense that winter is just around the corner, even on a warm, sunny day like this one.

There’s a lot going on in this photograph, and it was a challenge to incorporate all of these elements. Right in front of the camera we see the golden-brown meadow, dotted with white flowers . The forest begins beyond that, with deciduous trees close to the Merced River and then large groves of conifers. In the distance, we see several of the famous Yosemite Valley granite cliffs, with details muted by haze and bright late-afternoon sun.

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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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cedar Breaks

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Cedar Breaks
“Cedar Breaks” — Eroded sandstone strata at Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Cedar Breaks seems to me a bit of an odd spot. It sits on the edge of a high ridge in Utah just south of the Brian Head ski area. While it is spectacular, it is small, and and out of the way, and I think that it gets a bit lost by comparison to the other iconic parks of the state. In fact, it wasn’t a primary destination for us either — it was near a convenient place to spend a few nights on our way between California and points east of here.

But what it lacks in size and fame, it makes up for in spectacular features. A gigantic west-facing gash cuts into the summit of a high plateau. (The difference between that gentle plateau and this feature is remarkable.) Rather than the gigantic solid masses of sandstone found in places like Zion, Capitol Reef, and Arches, here the terrain is softer and the strata seem thinner, giving it a very different character.

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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.

Photographs: Arizona, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest

Monument Valley Squall

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Monument Valley Squall
“Monument Valley Squall” — A passing rain squall mutes the view of buttes and ridges at Monument Valley.

This was a spectacular day in Northern Arizona. We were most of the way through a visit of several weeks to Southern Utah, and we had departed Moab that morning. Our plan was to go back via the route through northern Arizona and make it to Springdale, Utah by the end of the day. As we left Utah and started west across Arizona there were spectacular clouds and intermittent heavy showers.

As we approached this area, with its famous buttes, spires, and towers, a heavy shower passed between us that the distant scenery. At first I was disappointed, as it obscured the clear view I was expecting. But in the end, I think that this curtain or rain produced a sense of mystery that is not so present in a typical sharp and clear photograph.

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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.