gdanmitchell
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 p.1 #15 · 48 Hours of Sierra Aspen Photography | |
First off, "thank you!" to all who have liked and commented so far.
I'll add a few comments and replies below.
Dan
Sanlameer wrote:
Hi,
Pure and impressive Art!
Regards
thanks!
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guidostow wrote:
Fine set Dan!
Thank you!
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jgoetz4 wrote:
Nice captures, Dan. The subtle colors remind me of 'watercolors'
Jim
I'm told that from time to time. Although I do work the colors in post, I try to hold back a bit from extreme saturations, etc.
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douter wrote:
Very nice, Dan, especially the one entitled, "Within the Grove"!
Douglas
Thanks. That little grove is something of a special spot of me. It wouldn't seem like anything remarkable to most people passing it, but I've been stopping and photographing it for a couple of decades.
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Jim Dockery wrote:
Nice set. Frosted leaves for me.
That one (and its related companion) is a favorite of mine. It was also (yet another) reminder to look beyond the immediate subject and see what else is there. I had been photographing a pretty large grove of trees at some distance. Then I took a little walk along a gravel road and found these leaves lying in the shadows next to the roadway.
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junglialoh wrote:
Wonderful classic and beautifully decorated foliage photography set
Thanks!
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Al Trujillo wrote:
Great set, Dan! I’m all about Frosty Leaves…always like those type of shots.
Thank you. I think that the frosted leaves photos are going to "have legs."
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nicoyenny wrote:
OK
I give up!
Dan , you NEED to teach me how you compose, it is impressive!
I've been to the same places, and my photos are nothing like yours 
Thank you for always sharing!
Heh. That's a big question and I can't say more than a bit about it in the context of this post. A few quick thoughts:
1. It is common to be impressed by a large scene, for example a hillside covered with colorful trees. I like to stop and ask "what parts of this scene are the most interesting and capture its essence," and then I try to eliminate as many distractions as possible from photographs of those sub-scenes.
2. I often move about quite a bit looking for just the right composition: left and right, closer and further, up and down, trying different focal lengths... until I land on one or more that seem to work the best.
3. I don't follow rules, though I'm aware of them. The composition has to feel right, and I often know when it does.
4. Try a lot of stuff. There are multiple ways to see most subjects, and I'll try more than one as I experiment and play around with it.
5. Keep in mind that you don't see the photographs that I feel did not succeed. That's true when you look at anyone else's work — it has been curated. I point this out to remind you to not feel that producing some unsuccessful photographs is a failure. It is pretty normal, and part of the learning process.
6. I tend to work in soft light — very early in the morning and in the evening, and under thin clouds if possible. Midday light is often just too harsh for these kinds of subjects. (I know, it isn't fun getting up two hours before sunrise. But you can get used to it, and the rewards are worth it.)
Good luck!
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learle wrote:
Beautiful set! I think I have missed the window to get down there from Reno. I have too much going on this week. I love the image of the frosty leaves.
The window for aspens is probably closing...and this year it wasn't really open all that long, what with the wind storm and then the snow. You can usually still find low elevation trees through the third week of October, especially in sheltered areas, and cottonwood color is probably still holding on. At the end of the month and in early November you can try the western slopes of the Sierra at lower elevations — for example Yosemite Valley can have some great color around Halloween.
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bcguy wrote:
What a great set of photos! I can imagine how much fun you had getting them!
Well, it was fun at times. It was also work! Especially when that crazy wind came up. Photographing in that was quite a challenge.
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jm10_former wrote:
Very nice set Dan! Enjoyed every picture.
jacob
Thanks.
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dhlewis wrote:
Thanks for sharing, very nice Dan
Thank you.
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Monika C wrote:
A good set from very challenging conditions. Frosted leaves for me, too. I think the 1st one just barely edges out the 2nd for me.
thanks, Monica.
I've been pondering those two alternative views, too... along with three others that I have not shared here. I like them in different ways (note the non-aspen leaves sprinkled throughout the second one) but I'm still leaning toward the one in landscape orientation.
Dan
Edited on Oct 17, 2025 at 10:18 AM · View previous versions
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