Photographs: Nature | G Dan Mitchell Photography

Archive for the 'Photographs: Nature' Category

Roots and Rocks

Weathered tree roots stretch across boulders at Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

I made this photograph at our first stop after we arrived at the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (Technically, that isn’t quite true, since we had earlier stopped at the “ranger station” to ask some questions, but this was the first “real” stop for photography.) The road into this area twists and turns as it ascends toward and then past a ski area, and here we couldn’t help but pull over at a hairpin curve that provided a panoramic overlook to the valley below and the ridges to the east (?) of our position. Although the original reason for stopping was this dramatic view, I soon found nearby “intimate landscapes” to also be very interesting. While I often hike and climb long distances to find my photographs… for this one the tripod was on asphalt and the subject right next to the road.

On a technical note, for this photograph I used a lens that I’m increasingly fond of for photographing subjects like this one, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM (link to B&H). I find it useful to be able to put a bit of distance between myself and subjects in which the entire image may include only a few square feet, and the ability to fine tune the composition with the zoom is very useful. Although I didn’t do it in this photography, working with a slightly longer focal length also lets me have the option of isolating the subject against an out of focus background. I have the non-IS version of the lens – because that was the only version available back when I got mine – though I would almost certainly get the IS version if I were to replace it.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: tree, nature, flora, foliage, forest, wood, branch, trunk, root, weathered, rock, boulder, alpine, plant, green, gray, bark, twig, leaf, landscape, travel, scenic, mount, baker, snoqualmie, national, forest, washington, usa, north america, pacific, northwest, cascades, mountain, range, detail, stock

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (at B&H)
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 113mm (at B&H)
ISO 100, f/16, 1/20 second

G Dan Mitchell :: Sep.03.2010 :: Photographs: Cascades, Photographs: Nature :: 2 Comments »

Sub-Alpine Ponds in Afternoon Light, Artist Point

A trail weaves through meadow and among sub-alpine ponds at Artist Point with the ridge of Mt. Shuksan beyond – Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

This is another photograph from my late-August afternoon exploration of the stunning ridgeline of Artist Point in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near the Mt. Baker ski area. This ridge runs through an intimate landscape comprised of small rock fields, meadows with running streams, groves and isolated high elevation trees, and small ponds – and provides a truly stunning panorama that takes in Mount Baker on one side and Mount Shuksan on the other, with distant peaks all around. We could hardly have asked for better conditions for late-afternoon photography. Dramatic clouds ringed the peaks, sometimes obscuring them and sometimes clearing for a moment, and bright sun alternated with softer and diffused light as cloud shadows moved across the ridge.

A bit further along the ridge there is a series of small snow-melt lakes – what I usually refer to as “tarns” in the Sierra. Here a trail winds in front of a couple of them that sit in rocky hollows in front a few ridgeline trees, with the cloud-shrouded shoulder of glacier-covered Mount Shuksan beyond.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: washington, state, usa, north american, cascades, mountain, range, ridge, peak, mt., mount, baker, snoqualmie, national, forest, wilderness, sub, alpine, fern, heather, flowers, bloom, blossom, rocks, talus, field, sun, clouds, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, byway, foliage, snow, sky, stock, bank, forest, trees, meadow, trail, shuksan, glacier, blue, meadow, silhouette, valley, shuksan, trail

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (at B&H)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 24mm (at B&H)
ISO 100, f/11, blended 1/60 and 1/125 second exposures

G Dan Mitchell :: Sep.02.2010 :: Photographs: Cascades, Photographs: Nature :: 3 Comments »

Artist Point Meadow, Mount Shuksan

The view of cloud-shrouded Mount Shuksan from a heather-filled sub-alpine meadow at Artist Point, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

As my brother and I came around the corner of this trail along the side of the Artist Point ridge, it took our breath away. I arrived a moment after he did, and found him already down among the heather flowers near the small run-off creek setting up his tilt-shift lens to make a close-up photograph of the flowers with the mountains in the distance. Once he finished, I went to work on this wider view of the scene, including the nearby foreground meadow and flowers, the trees along the edge of the drop-off, the pool of light in the valley beyond, and the shoulder of cloud-rimmed Mt. Shuksan with a dramatic sky beyond.

On a technical note, this was a very difficult exposure. When I looked down at the flowers and plants I saw what you see here, and when I looked up I saw the cloud-filled sky roughly as it appears in this photograph – but the dynamic range was so wide (ranging from parts of the foreground trees in deep shadow to distant snow fields in direct sun) that one exposure could not capture all of the scene data… so I used three which were then combined in post using masked layers and blended manually.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (at B&H)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 24mm (at B&H)
ISO 100, f/16, 1/100, 1/25, and 1/13 second blended exposures

G Dan Mitchell :: Sep.01.2010 :: Photographs: Cascades, Photographs: Nature :: 8 Comments »

Ferns and Rocks, Artist Point

Ferns grow among the rocks of a sub-alpine talus field at Artist Point, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

New mountains!

I have (barely) visited parts of the Cascades range of Washington, but it was some years ago and I did not make photographs at the time. This past week I finally had an opportunity to do some real photography in this spectacular mountain range when I accompanied my brother (Richard Mitchell to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest where we visited Artist Point, a spectacular sub-alpine ridge located between the peaks of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan.

As a long time “Sierra guy” (who has probably spent a total of over two years of his life on the trail in that range) I compare everything to my “home range.” While the Sierra is (are?) in my blood and that isn’t likely to change any time soon, these Washington mountains have (as Washington residents know) a lot to offer. The first thing that I noticed – though you won’t see it in this photograph – is that you quickly get up close and personal with some very large and impressive ice fields and glaciers. In the Sierra we see small glaciers, but they are tame compared to the hulking monsters of the Cascades. As we approached this area and I caught my first view of Shuksan the glaciers were the first thing that I noticed. In addition, you reach sub-alpine and alpine terrain at much lower elevations than in the Sierra. The 5,000′+ area where we photographed felt like a about 10,000′ in the Sierra.

I made this photograph near the end of our visit to Artist Point, in the very late afternoon as the sun dropped and the light began to warm and back-light these plants. These ferns were growing among the rocks of a talus field alongside the trail.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: washington, state, usa, north american, cascades, mountain, range, ridge, peak, mt., mount, baker, snoqualmie, national, forest, wilderness, sub, alpine, fern, rocks, talus, field, sun, clouds, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, byway, foliage, snow, sky, stock, bank, forest, trees, meadow, trail

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (at B&H)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 24mm (at B&H)
ISO 100, f/22, stitch at 1/60 and 1/15 second

G Dan Mitchell :: Aug.31.2010 :: Photographs: Cascades, Photographs: Nature :: 5 Comments »

Backpackers Near Milestone Basin

Backpackers, Near MIlestone Basin

Two backpackers descend through sub-alpine meadows toward the peaks of the Great Western Divide near Milestsone Basin, Sequoia National Park.

My two friends, Caroline and Owen, head through a lovely sub-alpine meadow toward the peaks of the Great Western Divide and the upper Kern River drainage of the Sierra Nevada in early August. (When doing backpacking photography it is always good to be accompanied by friends with colorful gear! My clothing color scheme is not conducive to photography, consisting mostly of colors that match the rocks, grasses, and dirt…)

This is a spectacular and less-visited area of the Sierra, being very high and at least two days from any trailhead – and those trailheads lead over very high Sierra crest passes. We hit it at perhaps the peak of its seasonal beauty – despite the clouds of mosquitoes, everything was tremendously green. Even in the late morning hour – not typically the time for photography – the scene was quite something. Our trail here passed through a succession of small, intimate meadows surrounded by rolling hills and filled with scattered glacial rocks, occasionally passing by small lakes and tarns.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: seki, sequoia, kings canyon, national, park, upper, kern, river, basin, drainage, source, headwaters, great, western, divide, milestone, basic, mountains, peaks, sub, alpine, meadow, trail, trees, rocks, grass, timberline, california, usa, north america, wilderness, red, backpack, jacket, trekking, poles, blue, sky, shadow, stock, sierra, nevada, range

G Dan Mitchell :: Aug.21.2010 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People, Photographs: Sierra Nevada :: 3 Comments »

Evening, Unnamed Lake and the Great Western Divide

Evening sky over the Great Western Divide reflected in an unnamed alpine lake, Sequoia National Park, California.

I don’t know quite what to say about this area of the Sierra located just east of the Great Western Divide in the upper reaches of the Kern River drainage – I’ve been very close to here on many previous trips, but I never quite managed to hop the intervening ridge even though I’ve thought vaguely about visiting this area for decades and I once passed through the lower reaches of it, more or less by accident and completely unaware of what was just upstream.

A group of us traveled over Kearsarge Pass (11,700′+) and Forrester Pass (13, 200′) to arrive in the upper Kern at Tyndall Creek along the JMT. (I think the general area is also known as the “bighorn plateau.”) I’ve been here on several previous occasions while heading to or circumnavigating Mt. Whitney. While I’ve gone east (to exit over the very rough Shepherd Pass at 12,000′) I’ve not really explored west and north of this area. Our general plan on this trip was to rectify that, specifically by visiting remote and very high Lake South America. After wandering up a mosquito-infested valley, climbing its headwall, and then dropping to a lake just below the saddle we made it to Lake South America. We had originally planned to stay here overnight, but the very barren and rocky surroundings didn’t attract us in the end, so we decided to head on to the west and south.

After a bit of a walk on a somewhat rough trail (which got much rougher later on) we arrived at a series of timberline lakes overlooking the Great Western Divide, which towered above us to the west. There is much I could say about this area, but I’ll limit myself to a few comments… and not name the specific location we visited. We finally found a sandy camping spot between a few lakes and tarns – it was surrounded by stunning alpine views ranging from the lakes themselves and the surrounding rocky meadows and clumps of trees to the jagged and high peaks to our west. The next morning we followed a very faint trail down the canyon, passing almost continuously through astonishing scenery featuring intimate, granite-surrounded meadows and small lakes.

I must go back. It won’t be easy. I’ll want to carry a bit more photography gear than I carried on this trip, and I’ll want to stay a day or two longer. And the location is two to three days from the nearest trailheads, all of which take you over some very high passes.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: unnamed, lake, pond, tarn, alpine, rock, reflection, water, clouds, sky, grass, meadow, shoreline, timberline, tree, line, boulder, great, western, divide, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, peak, ridge, milestone, basin, upper, kern, river, basin, sequoia, kings canyon, national, park, seki, landscape, nature, black and white, monochrome, evening, sunset, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Aug.20.2010 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada :: 1 Comment »

Natural Arch, Sierra Nevada

Natural Arch, Yosemite

One of two known natural arches in this area stands high on a ridge.

Although I have visited this area for decades and know it quite well, this year was the first time I had taken notice of and actually visited this natural arch or bridge, supposedly one of two in this region. (The other is, from what I’ve heard, underwater!) I won’t say too much more about this feature since it seems to be pleasantly unburdened by tremendous waves of tourists at this point… If you know where it is, I urge you to do the same.

(To illustrate how important this is with a fragile feature such as this arch, after I posted this image somewhere else a person followed up with a photograph of some damned fool standing on the arch! This demonstrates a gross disregard for this beautiful feature – there are weaknesses in the rock at the ends of the arch, and taking risks with a feature like this one that took nature thousands of years to construct is the height of irresponsibility.)

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: natural, arch, bridge, rock, stone, boulder, indian, rock, lookout, sentinel, dome, ridge, california, usa, north america, black and white, monochrome, landscape, geology, nature, tree, forest, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Aug.19.2010 :: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada :: No Comments »

G Dan Mitchell Photography

A daily photograph, news, observations, and ideas about photography

Archive for the 'Photographs: Nature' Category

Roots and Rocks

Sub-Alpine Ponds in Afternoon Light, Artist Point

Artist Point Meadow, Mount Shuksan

Ferns and Rocks, Artist Point

Backpackers Near Milestone Basin

Evening, Unnamed Lake and the Great Western Divide

Natural Arch, Sierra Nevada

Products/Vendors

Gallery

Contact

Social Media

Popular

Recent Comments

Photographers

Categories

Meta

G Dan Mitchell