Tag Archives: peak

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Sunrise, Lake Manley and Panamint Mountains

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Sunrise, Lake Manley and Panamint Mountains
“Sunrise, Lake Manly and Panamint Mountains” — Sunrise on the Panamint Mountains reflected in the ephemeral waters of Lake Manly

This is a photograph that is normally not possible in Death Valley — The image of a snow-capped mountain range reflected in the extensive waters of a gigantic lake. These are the Panamint Mountains, rising to over 11,000 feet on the far side of Death Valley. This winter the playa was covered by the shallow waters of ephemeral Lake Manly.

It was hard to resist the symmetry of this scene with the reflection in the still water was a near duplicate of the distant scene. I made the photograph after the morning sun had arrived on the higher peaks, but before it had worked its way down to the valley floor, thus the dark band across the middle of the image.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Peak, Clearing Storm

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Desert Peak, Clearing Storm
“Desert Peak, Clearing Storm” — Clearing clouds swirl around the summit of a desert mountain following overnight snowfall.

If you are unfamiliar with the place, you may be surprised that this scene is in Death Valley National Park. That desert park is famous for recording the hottest recorded temperature on planet, known for its arid playas and immense sand dunes. But there are mountains, too, some of which reach as much as 11,000′ above that dry valley. During the winter they are cold places and snow is common.

In mid-March I arrived at the park at the tail end of a series of stormy days. It had rained in the valley — apparently enough that some campers departed early — and snowed at the higher elevations. The Panamint Mountains towered to my right as I drove into the park through the Panamint Valley. Although the rain had mostly stopped at the lower elevations, snow flurries continued among the peaks.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Eastern Sierra Autumn Sunrise

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Piute Peak Sunrise
Autumn aspen trees at the shoreline of a subalpine lake below sunrise light on Piute Peak.

Eastern Sierra Autumn Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Autumn aspen trees at the shoreline of a subalpine lake below peaks in sunrise light.

I have photographed at this location for so many years that I no longer count on it to be a place to find something new… unless it looks like conditions might be unusually good. (I do still find other interesting subjects “in the neighborhood.”) But it is my tradition to check in for a short visit every year, and that’s more or less why I was there this October.

The morning was somewhat unpromising. There was a lot of color, but the patterns were unusual — green where I would have expected yellow and orange, and full color in places where I might have expected it to be green. And it was… windy. Very windy. Capturing a nice reflection on the waters of the lake was a lost cause. But sunrise is sunrise, and it is almost always a beautiful sight this ridge.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin

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Aspen Forest Mono Basin
A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

Aspen Forest, Mono Basin. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A thick forest of small autumn aspen trees near a ridge on the edge of Mono Basin.

I first encountered this aspen forest perhaps a decade ago while poking around in places other than the usual aspen locations. After a few visits I started to figure out the rhythms of the place and when the colors peak — which is not typically at quite the same time as in much of the Sierra. I’ve wanted to photograph the carpet of aspen trees here, but conditions were never quite right… until this morning of peak color with clouds softening the light and sky.

Many of these trees are small compared to the idealized tall, straight aspens that many have seen. But there are few places in California where as may grow so densely in uninterrupted groves. This must be a very old grove, as there are bare, dead snags mixed in among the living trees. Also unusual: the trees ascend to virtually the summit of this ridge.

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.