Category Archives: Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Mountains

Image Leave a comment
Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Moiuntains
“Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Mountains” — The Sierra Nevada seen through sunrise winter haze and fog in the Central Valley.

You may need to look closely at this photograph to understand what you are seeing. The foreground is perhaps obvious — a tule fog covered area of Central Valley winter landscape just before sunrise. Beyond that there is a slightly darker band of mountains. These are the Sierra foothills. But look above that. You are not seeing clouds. You are seeing a section of the distant Sierra Nevada crest.

It isn’t every day that the crest is visible from the Central Valley. In particular, foggy and stormy winter days often obscure the range from view. But at dawn — and on through the day when it is exceptionally clear — the range rises in striking fashion to the east and stretches as far as you can see from north to south.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Wildlife

Winter Dawn, Central Valley

Image Leave a comment
Winter Dawn, Central Valley
“Winter Dawn, Central Valley” — Tule fog lingers among trees and fields as migratory birds fly though winter sunrise sky and the Sierra Nevada towers in the distance

One of the pleasures — yes, I wrote “pleasures” — of starting a long California drive before sunrise is the chance to see the Sierra Nevada profiled against the pre-dawn sky. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I often see variations on this view as I crest the western California hills and descend into the Central Valley. This is a variation on that view, not from the western edge of the Valley but out in its center.

For frequently obscures this long view when I am out in the Valley photographing winter birds. Even when the fog lifts, the atmosphere is often opaque. But from time to time in clears to reveal this striking view of ridges and peaks. This photograph was a “happy accident.” I had arrived at my planned destination only to find that access was blocked temporarily. Rather than wait, I decided to drive and see what I could find. It wasn’t long before I found this view across the agricultural landscape, draped in low tule fog, and extending toward the distant 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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows II

Image Leave a comment
Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows II
Autumn aspen groves, lengthening early evening shadows, and snow-dusted peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows II. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Autumn aspen groves, lengthening early evening shadows, and snow-dusted peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Seeing a photograph here with the Roman numeral “II” attached you may wonder if there is a version “I.” There is, of course, and the first of the pair was posted a few days ago. In this case, the only significant difference is that this is a “landscape” orientation view of the scene and the other version used the “portrait” orientation. When the subject allows it I often photograph in both orientations — partly for practical reasons and partly because they both seem to work!

The scene is a type that I like a lot, at the elevation where the forests we expect in the high country meet high desert sagebrush country. The aspen trees seem to like both, and they are frequently a bridge between the two types of terrain. Here it is late in the afternoon (or perhaps early in the evening?) and long shadows are starting to stretch across the landscape.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspens in a Row

Image Leave a comment
Aspens in a Row
A row of colorful autumn aspen trees against a backdrop of rugged rocks.

Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of colorful autumn aspen trees against a backdrop of rugged rocks.

Along the base of this rocky face, which parallels the shoreline of a subalpine eastern Sierra lake, aspen trees try to grow with the classic tall and straight form. They almost succeed, but the rocky soil seems to hold them back, and while they are fairly straight they are not that tall. However, because they are in the shadow of a ridge yet open to the light on the other side, they pick up lovely soft and reflected light.

Our initial plans did not work out on this morning. We arrived at a high-country lake hoping to find reflections of aspens and the surrounding peaks. Instead we encountered strong winds and rough water on the lake. There were no good reflections and leaves were coming down in the wind. However, there are almost always alternative subjects, and by using a long lens I was able to photograph these trees across 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, 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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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