Tag Archives: yosemite

Autumn Oak Leaves, Rain – Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak Leaves, Rain - Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak Leaves, Rain – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Yellow oak leaves during autumn rain in Yosemite Valley, California.

Late in the afternoon – before finding my spot to shoot evening light – I was wandering about in a section of The Valley where there were colorful oaks and dogwood trees when I stopped to shoot this group of yellow and green leaves on a very young oak in a dark section of the forest in the light rain.

keywords: oak, leaf, leaves, tree, grove, forest, fall, autumn, color, yellow, green, season, foliage, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, sierra, nevada, mountains, scenic, stock

Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak and Rain, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Oak tree with orange foliage in a Yosemite Valley meadow as light rain falls.

This was shot in the rain in a meadow not too far from Sentinel Bridge, if I recall correctly. I liked the mist almost obscuring the cliffs in the distance, and like the fall color on the large tree – but I also like something that is perhaps not too easy to see on this small version, the more distant trees on the right sort of fading into the misty rain.

kewords: oak, tree, grove, meadow, grass, autumn, fall, color, yellow, gold, ridge, cliff, mist, fog, rain, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, scenic, landscape, travel, season, weather, wet, stock, nature

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn - Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2. 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An oak tree with autumn color against a cliff face, Yosemite Valley, California.

I found two interesting trees to photograph against the north Yosemite Valley cliffs near Ahwahnee Meadow and the Ahwahnee Lodge on this rainy November day. (The other one was located only a few feet from this tree, and I posted the photo earlier at my blog.) The tree was in the final stages of losing its leaves and the cliff face was wet from two days of rain.

This photograph is, for me, another example of why it is good to return to the same place again… and again. I’ve photographed in this very area quite a few times, making photographs of Ahwahnee Meadow in just about every season, photographing a nearby oak grove on the edge of the meadow, and photographing dogwood trees in fall. Every other time I’ve been there I’ve looked back at the spot where this tree is located without seeing anything – but this time I think I got the timing right and found different lighting conditions that make it possible to see this shot that I had never noticed before.


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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point

Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point

Cliff and Fog Near Glacier Point. Yosemite Valley, California. November 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A fog shrouded arete on the cliffs of Yosemite Valley near Glacier Point.

This bit of fog shrouded cliff is on the south side of Yosemite Valley a bit west of Glacier Point. While I was busy shooting similar conditions across the Valley at upper Yosemite Falls I happened to look over my shoulder and see this ridge barely breaking through the light rain and fog on this rather wet November morning. For the most part the arete was completely obscured, but as the wind moved the clouds around the rocky face the rocks and trees of this bit of ridge emerged from time to time – so it was a matter of setting up a likely composition and then waiting for an interesting bit of rock and vegetation to appear.

keywords: cliff, face, arete, tree, ridge, mountain, fog, cloud, mist, glacier point, yosemite, valley, national park, obscure, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, atmosphere, weather, rain, sierra, nevada, california, usa, stock, black and white