p.1 #1 · From the Other Coast — Sierra Nevada Fall Color
This year I had the good fortune to be able to photograph on both the East Coast (mostly New Hampshire — my first visit) and the West Coast, in my familiar Eastern Sierra Nevada. In order to time the New England visit for its likely peak color, I had to forego visiting the Sierra during the first two weeks of October, when I usually go, and instead went later during week 3.
Week 3 in the Eastern Sierra can be a slightly dicey proposition, since the remaining color depends a lot on what happened earlier in the aspen color season. But this year the weather was largely pretty benign, with no major storms or wind. So there was still a lot of very good color on the "East Side," and even west of the crest as I drove there and back.
Here are a few from my visit. (The "original post" links go to my blog, where I share a short backstory about each photograph.)
p.1 #5 · From the Other Coast — Sierra Nevada Fall Color
Looks like you hit home runs, coast to coast, Dan! A beautiful series celebrating the high country aspens. I can see a similarity in how you photographed both the east and west coasts! Always compelling compositions and great processing!
p.1 #6 · From the Other Coast — Sierra Nevada Fall Color
The Basin Mountain shot reminds me of several small(?) patches of color up in the far high canyons to the west as you drive along 395. Fortunately I found spots more easily reached. It was beautiful up there and you did your usual inspiring job capturing the look and feel of the region.
p.1 #9 · From the Other Coast — Sierra Nevada Fall Color
agvogel wrote:
Gorgeous as always, Dan! "Aspens, High Desert Valley" is my favorite.
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cohenfive wrote:
Beauties. Were you near Lundy Canyon? That's my favorite fall hiking spot up there.
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junglialoh wrote:
Beautiful landscape photo collection - great composition
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Starfire8 wrote:
Looks like you hit home runs, coast to coast, Dan! A beautiful series celebrating the high country aspens. I can see a similarity in how you photographed both the east and west coasts! Always compelling compositions and great processing!
Best regards, David
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Craig Gillette wrote:
The Basin Mountain shot reminds me of several small(?) patches of color up in the far high canyons to the west as you drive along 395. Fortunately I found spots more easily reached. It was beautiful up there and you did your usual inspiring job capturing the look and feel of the region.
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DaleBerlin wrote:
Nice work Dan. Love the three colors of leaves in #4, and the details in #5. Always enjoy your light touch when processing.
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Jim Dockery wrote:
Nice work as usual Dan. I like the composition in "Aspens, High Desert Valley".
"Thank you" to all of you.
To reply more specifically to some of the comments...
"Aspens, High Desert Valley" was a bit of a stroke of luck. I've seen that grove before, but it has never been at its peak. I wasn't expecting it to be this time, but fortunately I caught sight of it as I passed. I went up the road a bit further to find a place to turn around and came back. I set up and waited for the right combination of sun and cloud shadows to highlight the trees and mute some of the other features.
I usually check in at Lundy once or more each season, but when I passed by this year (I came over Sonora Pass before turning south) it was late in the day and I still needed to make it to Bishop. Plus I had already been delayed while making the photograph that I described above!
Photographing the two different fall color locations one after the other brought home some of the significant differences, but also reminded me that a lot of photographic principles work with almost any subject. (This was my first time photographing New England color, and now I really want to go back there!)
I'm also always intrigued by the little bits of remote color up on the hillsides. Over the years I've made an attempt get close to as any as possible, and that has led me to some pretty out of the way locations! (Having 4WD helps...)
p.1 #11 · From the Other Coast — Sierra Nevada Fall Color
bobby350z wrote:
Dan I like the use of the long lens in #2. It helps isolate that wide scene. Or you took your 4runner some up trails for that?
Thanks! I'm a fan of longer focal lengths for many landscape subjects, and this one used my trust 70-200mm lens. And while that 4Runner does get me to some less-accessible places... this spot was visible from right along US 395. (It came up pretty quickly and I missed it the first time, when up the road a ways to make a safe u-turn, and came back to catch this mice light.)
The photograph in this set using the longest focal length is the fifth one, the portrait of Basin Mountain. While I have driven up close to its base in the trusty 4Runner, this angle placed me on the side of a flat country road down in Round Valley with the 100-400 on the camera in order to get a tighter composition and compress the distance... and give enough detail to make that distant little aspen grove visible.
Dan
(I recall that you earlier asked about accessible locations for photographing fall color in the Eastern Sierra, and both of these qualified. Let me know if you go back next year and I'll tell you more.)
