Tag Archives: young

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

West-Facing Wall

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West-Facing Wall
Sunset light floods a west-facing bowl above a high Yosemite backcouintry lake.

West-Facing Wall. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Sunset light floods a west-facing bowl above a high Yosemite backcouintry lake.

In the recent series of panoramic photographs from the Yosemite backcountry and a follow-up photograph in a more typical orientation, I mentioned this location and its extraordinary exposure to the western sky. Among backcountry locations with which I’m familiar, this one is perhaps the most reliable at producing beautiful sunset light and alpenglow.

For this photograph I decided to simply compose straight on, looking right at the upper (and east) side of the bowl. Even though peak sunset color has not yet quite arrived, the entire cliff face is washed with this warmly-colorful 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow

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Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow
The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Over the years I have visited this lake many times. I feel like I know it pretty well now, but I still discover new things each time I go there. My first visit was on a very long day hike in the early fall, in golden light and cooler temperatures. After that I made it a backpacking destination quite a few times, and from here I explored other higher lakes nearby.

On the trip when I made this photograph I had gone earlier in the season to set up a photography base camp. From here I hiked daily to higher lakes, where I photographed more alpine country. A special feature of this location is that it lies on the west side of a ridge running somewhat north-south, with a completely open vista to the west. Late in the day this landscape fills with colorful sunset 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Rock Islands, Alpine Lake

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Rock Islands, Alpine Lake
Boulders form small islands near the shoreline of a Sierra Nevada alpine lake.

Rock Islands, Alpine Lake. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Boulders form small islands near the shoreline of a Sierra Nevada alpine lake.

I made this photograph on a beautiful evening in a favorite Yosemite backcountry location featuring a small string of three sub-alpine lakes. The lowest is surrounded by forest, but this upper lake sits in a wide-open bowl at timberline and facing the western sky. This makes it a place of astonishingly colorful evening and sunset light when the conditions align.

As is my usual pattern, I had camped at the lower lake before wandering to the upper lake late in the day, planning to photograph along the shoreline. In fact I had in mind a particular treat that I wanted as my subject. After making a few pictures of it I headed out around the lake, where I made this photograph of “boulder islands” along the shoreline just as golden hour was beginning.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Young Trees, Zion Canyon

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Young Trees, Zion Canyon
Slender young trees growing at the base of the sandstone cliffs in Zion Canyon.

Young Trees, Zion Canyon. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Slender young trees growing at the base of the sandstone cliffs in Zion Canyon.

The biggest and oldest cottonwood trees are some of the most impressive specimens in these canyons. They often tower high above their surroundings, and for this reason can be photographed against cliff faces or sky without interference from other plants. They fill sections of canyon bottoms throughout the Southwest and, for that matter, they are found in an amazing range of places in the west, from near desert locations to the flatlands of California’s Central Valley. However, their dominance of the plantscape can sometimes distract from other worthy subjects that do not shout their presence quite so loudly.

These young trees in Zion Canyon have a kind of grace and fragility that contrasts with the solid mass of those bigger cottonwoods. The branches of these trees are slender and they move in the breeze. (Which, by the way, adds a particular challenge to photographing them in very low light.) The soft canyon light reflecting down from far above almost makes them luminous.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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