G Dan Mitchell Photography

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

Colorful fall foliage on branches of a Yosemite Valley oak tree with walls of the valley seen faintly though rain.

This tree is an often photographed landmark in the meadow just to the north of Curry Village and along the roadway to the campgrounds in upper Yosemite Valley. I stopped here initially to photograph the tree with Yosemite Falls very faintly visible through the rain and mist beyond. Finishing that, I decided to try a few detail photograph of the tree itself. Here the upper edge of the Valley walls are just barely visible through the light rain.

I think this will be the last – at least for awhile – in the long series of photographs from my early November rainy weekend in Yosemite Valley earlier this year.

keywords: oak, tree, meadow, leaf, leaves, branch, cliff, wall, mountain, face, fog, cloud, rain, mist, yellow, gold, fall, autumn, season, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, foliage, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.30.2008 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite :: 1 Comment »

Being more than a bit fanatical about photography of the Sierra Nevada, I decided to start a Flickr group devoted to the subject. If you are a Flickr member and have photographs from the Range of Light to share, please visit the group: Sierra Nevada – Photographs from the Range of Light and contribute or just enjoy. You can view the photos whether or not you are a Flickr member. (I see that Inge Fernau was the first to join – thanks, Inge!)

You can subscribe (or directly view) RSS feeds for photos and discussions at the group’s Flickr page.

Dan

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.29.2008 :: Community :: No Comments »

I’ve made some significant changes over at my Photography Gallery, where I archive the photographs posted on this blog and elsewhere. The major change has been to switch to a simple layout that focuses more on the photographic images and, I hope, is a bit more logical to navigate. Let me know what you think!

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.29.2008 :: Gallery, Site News :: No Comments »

Autumn Oak Grove, El Capitan Meadow. Yosemite Valley, California. November 2. 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn colors come to the oak groves in El Capitan Meadow with Cathedral Rocks in the distance – Yosemite Valley, California.

I think I hit this meadow at pretty much the peak of the fall color this year when I visited during the first week of November. The light rain that was falling also helped saturate the colors. El Capitan Meadow is near the base of El Capitan and is full of beautiful, large oak trees and meadow grasses and plants. Beyond the edge of the meadow the lower face of Cathedral Rocks (on the south side of the Valley, opposite El Capitan) is visible.

keywords: autumn, fall, season, el capitan, meadow, grass, leaves, oak, tree, grove, forest, yellow, brown, gold, cloud, rain, cathedral, rocks, cliff, face, mountain, mist, fog, trunk, branch, silhouette, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.29.2008 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite :: No Comments »

Earlier this year I acquired a Lowerpro Nova 200 AW camera bag. I have been meaning to write my review, but I’ve managed to delay. I think this is partly a result of the nature of this bag. No, there is nothing wrong with it – in fact, I like it a lot. It is just there is nothing flashy about it either – instead it is just a very competent and useful piece of basic equipment. Continue Reading »

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.28.2008 :: Equipment :: No Comments »

Burnt Forest – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Burnt trees in a managed fire area of Yosemite Valley.

Now that I understand that fire is a natural and important part of the life cycle of forests, I no longer find burned areas to be ugly – in fact I think that they can be quite compelling scenes. The start quality of charred trees and soil is interesting, and soon the new growth in the burned areas comes in and wildflowers can be abundant. The NPS now has a policy in Yosemite of allowing naturally occurring fires to burn (as long as they don’t threaten structures) and of purposefully starting “managed fires” in places like the Valley.

During my raining early -November weekend in The Valley I stopped in this recently burned forest, initially to photograph new growth of ferns on the forest floor against the dark colors of the trees. After I worked that idea I saw these lower branches on forest trees that had been burned and decided to photograph them as well.

keywords: fire, burn, forest, managed, controlled, trunk, tree, branches, char, brown, blackened, yosemite, valley, national park, nature, california, usa, fall, autumn, season, sierra, nevada, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.28.2008 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite :: No Comments »

Zabriskie Point Abstract. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light illuminates hills and gullies below Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Another relatively abstract photograph of the amazing folded hills and gullies seen from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park. Here the sun has risen just enough to catch the upper portion of all of the small hills, but not high enough to light the shaded areas in the gullies between them. The idea here was to crop the scene tightly enough that nothing would be visible besides the shapes and textures of this small portion of the terrain.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the bizarre and amazing nature of the Zabriskie Point view – it is simply a place like no other and the view is otherworldly. But after going back a few times I have started to be able to see past the most obvious elements of the “grand scene” and I find some of the details interesting. (One of my favorite photographs from this area is not of a subject that most photographers would look at; it is a small – for lack of a more picturesque description – mud hill right next to the walkway between the parking lot and the official viewing area.)

keywords: zabriskie, point, fold, hills, gully, shadow, erosion, form, structure, geology, ridge, desert, dry, wash, death valley, national park, california, usa, abstract, landscape, scenic, travel, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.27.2008 :: Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert :: No Comments »