Tag Archives: water

Lake, Peninsula, and Reflections

Lake, Peninsula, and Reflections
“Lake, Peninsula, and Reflections” — Morning sun comes to a rocky peninsula at a wilderness lake reflecting gigantic talus slopes, Inyo National Forest.

Reflections in the waters of high country lakes always provide interesting photographic subjects. This lake, located just outside the northeast boundary of Yosemite National Park, produces some of the largest and most abstract shapes that I know of. The combination of open terrain and huge talus slopes are the keys.

I photographed here in the early morning, while my non-photographer backpacking partners were still snug and warm in their sleeping bags. The light had worked its say down the distant slope and across most of the lake — you can see the edge of the shadow on the rocks at center right.


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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

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Shoreline, Pond, and Mountains

“Shoreline, Pond, and Mountains” — Early evening sun lingers on the shoreline of a small pond beneath the Sierra Nevada crest.

This pond was a frequent subject when I camped nearby on a mid-July backpacking trip into the Sierra Nevada. We camped just below the crest of the range east of Yosemite National Park. This valley holds numerous lakes, and we camped at one of the larger ones. The pond shown in the photo was nearby — less than a one minute walk from my campsite.

I photographed this subject both early and late in the day, the times when the light is more agreeable. This photo comes from early on my evening photography outing, when the shadows were just beginning to lengthen and stretch across the landscape.


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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.

Lakes Meadows, and Trees

Lakes Meadows, and Trees
“Lakes Meadows, and Trees” — Trees and shorelines along a series of Sierra Nevada lakes.

This is another photograph from my mid-July backpack trip into the Eastern Sierra Nevada, right below the crest of the range just outside Yosemite National Park. We spent three nights and four days in the area, and because it was an easy trip with low mileage, I had plenty of time to photograph morning and evening. This is an early morning photograph of a series of lakes, captured while my trail companions were still in their tents.

The area presented some unusual terrain. Our trip began at the lower end of the lake that is barely visible in the far distance, so the first few miles of walking were nearly level. From the end of that lake we climbed no more than perhaps fifty more feet to the middle lake and our campsite. Talk about easy walking! The water in the foreground belongs to a small pond that was less than a one minute walk from my campsite.


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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.

Two Shorelines

Two Shorelines
“Two Shorelines” — Shoreline trees, meadows, and rocks reflected in the water of a small subalpine Sierra lake.

Many of my photographs from this July backpack trip in the Eastern Sierra featured views of the “grand landscape” — long and high mountain ridges, lakes backed by tall mountains, and so forth. This one focuses on closer subjects including the shoreline that I was standing on and the meadow and sparse forest on the other side of this small bay.

I made the photograph early in the day, at just about the end of my morning photography. The soft and warm light of early morning was fading away and beginning to be more harsh. I was first interested in the little rocky outcropping just to the left of center, and I thought it would be interesting to juxtapose that with the further forest across the water.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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.