Tag Archives: winter

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Granite, Snow, And Clouds

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Granite, Snow, And Clouds
Clouds sweep across granite faces as winter snow falls above Yosemite Valley

Granite, Snow, And Clouds. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds sweep across granite faces as winter snow falls above Yosemite Valley

This morning brought what I consider almost perfect Yosemite Valley weather — cold, windy, light snow falling, and misty clouds floating among the cliffs, peaks, and turrets surrounding the Valley. I found a spot with a suitable view of several impressive sections of Valley wall, put a long lens on the camera, and began to photograph as the storm evolved.

This sort of photography is anything but static. With clouds in motion and snow falling, the scene was constantly changing. One moment everything would go gray and the rocky faces were almost completely obscured. Then a section of thinner clouds would arrive, the granite and trees would begin to emerge, and sometimes the sun would briefly light sections of the scene. And as I focused on one area, something interesting would begin to occur in another spot. I had eyed the foreground sloping granite for some time, waiting for it to clear and for the ridge extending beyond it to become somewhat visible as the clouds drifted and parted.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest, Meadow, New Snow

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Granite, Snow, And Clouds
Overnight snow coats forest trees, Yosemite National Park

Forest, Meadow, New Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds sweep across granite faces as winter snow falls above Yosemite Valley

This morning followed a light overnight snowfall in Yosemite Valley, and the temperature was cold enough that the snow did not melt. The thin coating of snow remained on the trees, even as the first sun arrived, peaking over the top of the cliffs along the south side of the Valley.

In the foreground are trees growing on the Valley floor, near the edge of a large, open meadow, including both conifers and deciduous trees. The further up the Valley walls we look the more snow remains, and backlit trees with snowy branches wind their way upwards toward granite cliffs. Further in the distance those cliffs appear, snow dusted and blue in the cold shadow light.

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 and Amazon.
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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: Wildlife

Red-Wing Blackbird

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Red-Wing Blackbird
A red-wing blackbird perched among wetland plants

Red-Wing Blackbird. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A red-wing blackbird perched among grasses

The red-wing blackbird (and the similar tri-color blackbird) are among those birds that are found all over the place here in California. I’ve encountered them in agricultural areas and on trails in coastal hills parks, in huge groups or as solitary individuals. They often perch, and they aren’t too hard to photograph with a long lens, though their very dark feathers can provide some exposure challenges. When they take to the air they often move quickly and can be hard to track.

The red patches are not always visible. In fact, when I first saw this individual I did not see them. But the bird seemed content to remain in one spot for a while, so I settled in with the bird in the viewfinder and waited. Typically the first thing I’ll do is to try to grab an initial photograph that is at least usable. But they I wait and watch for something beyond that, something that might show the animal in a special way. As I watched this bird, all of a sudden it puffed out its feathers and exposed those brilliant red patches for a few seconds.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Trees, Meadow, Snow Storm

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Trees, Meadow, Snow Storm
Snow falls on a tree-studded Yosemite Valley meadow

Trees, Meadow, Snow Storm. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Snow falls on a tree-studded Yosemite Valley meadow

I made this photograph as a snow squall swept through this part of Yosemite Valley, on an afternoon that featured changeable weather. It was often cloudy, sometimes the sun broke through, at other times snow fell heavily for short periods. It was during one of those latter moments when I stopped here, entranced by the silhouetted tree shapes and the moodiness of the snow-obscured landscape.

Snow and fog (and to some extent rain) can make the task of photography more difficult, but the visual value they bring mac the challenges worthwhile. A location like this one can be almost too dense with complex detail when the air is completely clear, but some fog or snow mute the distant details and simplify the scene in useful ways. Here the dark shapes of the closer trees acquire a stronger (and more abstract) presence in the scene, and the distant features that would otherwise be visible fade to obscurity and instead provide a sort of depth to the scene. I made a practical decision, too, when photographing this scene. Because of the challenging conditions of windblown snow, rather than putting my bigger camera on the tripod I shot handheld with a smaller system I was also carrying.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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