Tag Archives: wilderness

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Shoreline, Early Morning

Image November 4, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Fractured rocks and late-season grasses along the shoreline of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

Does this scene look cold? It was! I had headed out around the circumference of the lovely subalpine lake next to which we had been camped for several days, with a goal of reaching the outlet stream at the far end of the lake. On the scale of Sierra Nevada backcountry lakes, this one is perhaps a bit larger than the typical size, but not extraordinarily large. However, the hike around the lake took longer than expected — party due to my tendency to stop a lot to look and photograph, and partly due to its complex shoreline. It is lined with small bays that necessitate either an inland loop or an ascent across the intervening land.

This photograph was made near the bottom of one of those bays. Because the tall peaks to the east — seen here at the upper left — blocked the morning sun until several hours after actual sunrise the area was still in shade… and cold and a bit windy. For this photograph I did something that is a bit unusual for me. I put my ultra-wide-angle lens on the camera, got very close to my foreground subject, and took advantage of this setup’s ability to include the near and the far in the frame.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Grassy Shoreline, Talus Fields

Image October 27, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Grasses grow along the marshy shoreline of an alpine lake backed by a glaciated terrain and a huge talus field

To illustrate just how long it took the sun to reach our camp near this subalpine lake, by the time I made this photograph I had already been up long enough to walk the length of the lake, make many photographs, and walk nearly all the way back to camp! Sunrise was actually much earlier, but the very tall ridge (see in the distance in the photograph) blocked the light for the first few hours of the day. If you look carefully you may notice the upper slopes are softly lit by light reflected from peaks on the other side of the valley, behind and to the right of my camera position.

In this extended morning twilight the quality of the place was special. It was quiet and still — the water on the lake was still mirror-like. Soft light gently illuminated the scene, and a few subjects that were more colorful stood out — as seen in the early autumn colors of some of the foreground grasses. It was a time to walk slowly and alone along the shoreline, taking my time to enjoy and photograph this quiet landscape.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Stained and Fractured Rock

Image October 26, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A stained and fractured rock face in the Sierra Nevada backcountry

I have one more of these “abstract” photographs of Sierra Nevada rocks. While I used the term “abstract,” these subjects are real rock faces, photographed in shadow light with fill reflected from sun-lit rocks across the valley behind my camera position. The rocks here were remarkable — dark slate-like material, covered with water and mineral stains, and cut through by cracks and small ledges.

Most often I think we are drawn to the big, beautiful landscape of trees and water and peaks in the Sierra. Those are, indeed, worthy subjects, and I photograph them frequently. But there are other things to see, some of them not so obvious. This face was one of those other things. I had missed it entirely the first time I passed by, and it was only after one of my friends suggested that it was worth another look that I decided to go back.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Subalpine Lake Shore And Forest

Image October 24, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Subalpine forest ascends on granite benches above a small lake

This scene is located in one of the lovely intimate landscape areas of the valley we visited in mid-September this year. While spectacular alpine ridges and peaks and long vistas seem like primary features of the Sierra Nevada, the more time you spend there the more you’ll come to think of scenes like this one as defining the nature of the place. It is a land of bare granite slabs and benches, on which small trees managed to find sustenance, broken up by lakes and tarns and meadows. While those monumental peaks are often visible above, these scenes are more characteristic and perhaps affecting.

The light is special, too. In this terrain of open forests, widely spaced trees, rocky formations, lakes and meadows the light manages to find its way into nearly every corner of the landscape. Unlike denser forests, where the ground can seem to be in perpetual shade, here the light almost always breaks through. Even in areas where the light is blocked by peaks, other peaks often reflect soft light to illuminate the shadows. And everywhere, especially early and late in the day, back-light can make the trees and grasses glow.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: wilderness

Shoreline, Early Morning

Grassy Shoreline, Talus Fields

Stained and Fractured Rock

Subalpine Lake Shore And Forest

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.