Tag Archives: season

Black Oaks, Spring Snow

Black Oaks, Spring Snow
Spring snow falls on a black oak grove, Yosemite Valley

Black Oaks, Spring Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring snow falls on a black oak grove, Yosemite Valley

It is hard to pick a favorite season in Yosemite Valley. Fall brings much cooler temperatures, diminishing crowds, and autumn colors. Winter brings snow and clouds drifting among peaks and across meadows. In spring the waterfalls flow strongly again as rivers rise, and the Valley’s vegetation comes back to life. Perhaps the ideal time is the transition between winter and spring, when on the ideal day you can experience a bit of both seasons. (Identifying the least favorite is easy. That would be summer, on account of the sometimes extreme heat and the frequent crowds of tourists. I generally stay away between June and mid-September.)

This was one of those spring days that briefly felt more like winter. A quick snow storm came through, dropping temperatures and leaving a few inches of snow on trees and on the ground. (It was almost all gone before noon the next day, when spring returned.) These black oak trees, with their graceful trunks and branches, are always lovely, but when snow falls they are special. There was just enough snow to coat the upper branches of these trees, and snow and mist swirled beyond among the cliffs surrounding the Valley.


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 and Amazon.
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Dead Trees, Snow

Dead Trees, Snow
Burned forest trees silhouetted against snow storm clouds swirling around a granite face

Dead Trees, Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dead forest trees silhouetted against snow storm clouds swirling around a granite face

I have written before about my long-term process of trying to find ways to photograph the beauty of dead or burned forests, a subject that I was brought up to regard as a tragedy. For decades, Smokey the Bear told me that forest fires were a wholly bad thing, to be avoided at all costs. Eventually we came to understand and (mostly) accept that fire is a normal and even necessary part of the life-cycle of healthy forests, and in places like Yosemite fires are often “managed” rather than suppressed. Currently in the Sierra Nevada the issue is compounded by the sight of millions of trees that fell victim to bark beetles during the recent drought, and whole forests have died in some places. A few dead trees are a normal part of the landscape, but this is unprecedented in the lives of any of us.

This photograph was made on a snowy day in Yosemite Valley, probably the last such day of the current season as winter turns to spring. Beyond the stark trees, a combination of clouds and blowing snow mostly obscured the Valley’s cliff faces. This photograph illustrates something else I figured out about photographing tall trees some years ago. I used to feel that the way to show the vertical scale of tall trees was to move back and show the whole tree, usually in a vertically framed image. I specifically recall the day when I figured out that there is another way. I was photographing in the coast redwood forest north of San Francisco, where I was unable to move back to get the tree-encompassing distance. I realized that I could do the exact opposite of what I had been doing — use a panoramic framing that does not show the whole tree, but instead implies by absence that subject is too tall to fit in the camera’s frame.


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

Oak Trees, Snow, Clouds

Oak Trees, Snow, Clouds
Tall winter oak trees silhouetted against granite cliffs and snow-storm clouds

Oak Trees, Snow, Clouds. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Tall winter oak trees silhouetted against granite cliffs and snow-storm clouds

Recently I spent a few more days in Yosemite, mostly in Yosemite Valley, working on my Yosemite Renaissances artist-in-residence project. We have settled on a theme for the exhibit, which will open on June 2, with a June 9 public reception. Since the timeline extended, I’ve decided to go beyond winter images and instead look at the transition from winter to spring. Hence, the title: “Transitions: Winter To Spring.” A group of friends and fellow photographers will also be part of the exhibit, and I’ll share more information very soon.

This week probably (though you can never be totally certain) marked the final real winter weather of the season in the Valley. A quick weather front swept through with surprising amounts of precipitation over a brief period, and it was cold enough for snow in the Valley. The snow wasn’t deep, but the cold temperatures allowed it to cover everything, including these lovely old black oak trees, photographed here against the background of clouds and mist and some of the rocky walls of The Valley.


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

Oak Tree, Falling Snow

Oak Tree, Falling Snow
Snow falls around a black oak and a grove of trees with autumn leaves, Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree, Falling Snow. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Snow falls around a black oak and a grove of trees with autumn leaves, Yosemite Valley

It was a cold week in Yosemite Valley, which was actually positive news following a string of too warm days on which not enough precipitation fell in January and February. But during this week near the end of the month, someone flipped the on switch for winter. It turned cold — highs in the low twenty degree range — and there was intermittent snow. On this afternoon a small weather front arrived, and quickly scattered snow showers began around the Valley.

Photographing in falling snow can be a beautiful experience, but it is also presents some challenges. Not only is it cold, but the snow collects on lenses and other gear, and it can be hard to operate the equipment. And, unlike rain, the white flakes and pellets of snow can obstruct the view of the subject. Later in the day I found myself along a Yosemite Valley meadow as a heavy snow shower passed by. I made this photograph as the snow came down harder, muting the colors and details of the scene A single old oak tree stood against the storm, collecting new fallen snow on its trunk and branches.


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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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