Autumn Morning, Round Valley. Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. October 11, 2013. © Copyright 2015 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Morning light on the pastureland and trees of Round Valley and the eastern Sierra Nevada
This lovely pastoral location sits at the base of the eastern Sierra, and is as much a part of the Owens Valley as it is a part of the Sierra. It is green and lush in the spring and early summer, it takes on some of the typical California golden color later on, and its brown grasses and colorful leaves produce a beautiful sight in autumn. It is not at all a “destination,” but it is a place that I always look forward to seeing when I pass up and down the east side of the range.
There are two particularly beautiful lighting conditions that occur here. One, which I’ll share in another photograph a bit later, occurs in the afternoon. The sun drops behind a tall ridge along the upper section of the valley, leaving the steep slopes of the eastern Sierra escarpment in shade while brilliantly lighting the autumn-colored cottonwood trees from behind. The other lighting, which is seen in this photograph, comes in the morning, when low angle light crosses the meadow, creating long shadows and gradually lighting up the backdrop of the Sierra.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
I had the pleasure of spending a few days around Halloween 2014 near the Owens Valley. As an easterner I wish I knew the names of all the deciduous trees in the valley, but they were stunning that time of year. What I loved was driving through the flat (and grey) sagebrush areas of the valley and then entering into pockets of beautiful color in the towns like Bishop and Big Pine. I think I loved the fall colors of the valley even more than the aspen groves up in the Sierra, but that’s just me!
Blake, I understand your feeling. Those valley trees, especially the big cottonwoods, are really beautiful.
Dan