Monthly Archives: January 2010

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Winter Sunset, Pigeon Point Lighthouse

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Winter Sunset, Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Winter Sunset, Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Winter Sunset, Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Pacific Coast, California. January 9, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter surf in a rocky bay with high clouds above as last sunset light strikes the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California.

Another weekend. Another excuse to drive to San Francisco. Another excuse to come back the long way via the Coast Highway.

This time I actually had my sights set on a location a bit south of this. I’ve been to this iconic California lighthouse before (including the well-known November lighting of the original beacon) so I usually don’t stop. As I approached I thought the light looked pretty interesting and I liked the clouds I was seeing in the sky – it is more often either fogged in or perfectly clear. I actually drove right past the turnoff to the lighthouse, I was so intent on my original location. But, as I’ve written before, I’ve learned to not drive, walk, or otherwise propel myself past a good photographic opportunity, so I pulled out soon after this point and took a look back at the lighthouse and the rugged surf. From the vantage point where I stopped a bit south of the lighthouse the light was not good at all, but at least I was able to turn around and head back to where it was interesting.

Since the light was going fast, I quickly found a spot to park, grabbed my gear, and headed out toward the edge of the low bluff just north of the lighthouse – and on this side the warm evening light, softened by some fog and ocean spray, was very nice. I shot as the sun dropped to the horizon, then made a few other photographs of some very interesting sunset clouds – I’ll post them later – before getting back in the car and heading home.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: california, usa, landscape, winter, stock, pacific, ocean, seascape, sea, shore, pigeon point, sky, water, rock, evening, sunset, rock, rugged, coast, beach, bluff, fence, foam, wave, spray, surf, sand, high, clouds, evening, light, building, tower, light, chimney, people, hostel, historic, san mateo county

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

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Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch
Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch. San Jose, California. January 10, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A suburban home with a red painted porch, sidewalk, walkway, tree, and lawn.

Another in the “banal suburban homes” series… ;-)

Shot while on a walk not far from my home on this early January Sunday evening. I’m not going to try to explain what draws me to shoot subject like this – I have some idea, but I’m not sure I can fully explain it in a way that will make complete sense. Some of the visual elements that attracted me to this particular house include the very geometric and “neat” shapes of the sidewalk, trimmed lawn, red porch step, the coiled green hose, and the shrubs. I also like the dissonance of the slightly unruly tree on the left portion of lawn and the slightly off-kilter elements including the slightly tilting porch roof. There’s more, but you’ll have to fill in the gaps for yourself… :-)

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: willow, glen, san, jose, california, usa, street, urban, city, structure, winter, stock, home, house, surburban, surbubia, old, walk, sidewalk, walkway, cement, concrete, green, lawn, bare, tree, shrub, bush, window, door, screen, step, porch, light, roof, wire, hose, step, mat, reflection, stock, street, urban, coil

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Winter Fog and Oak Covered Hills

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Winter Fog and Oak Covered Hills
Winter Fog and Oak Covered Hills

Winter Fog and Oak Covered Hills. Calero Hills, California. January 9, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter morning fog settles over the oak covered Calero Hills landscape of central California.

On this early-January winter morning I headed to my “photographic backyard” in the Calero Hills area, knowing that I’d get to shoot my favorite hills, oak trees, and grasslands in fog, clearing fog, and perhaps even sunlight. Things didn’t pan out exactly as I expected, but it was a good morning of photography anyway.

After starting out by photographing a tree in the “lowlands” of the park, I could tell that the tule fog was starting to clear a bit along the ridges – the brighter light from above was one hint, and the occasional faint sight of blue sky and clouds through the low fog was another. So I decided to finish up my work on that tree and follow a trail that ascends to one of the many minor ridges running through the park.

Arriving at a familiar point on the ridge along a valley that drops away to the south, the fog began to clear from my location. I soon discovered that it wasn’t going to be a day for sunlit photographs – a weak weather system was approaching and high clouds muted the sunlight. In addition the fog didn’t exactly clear – it was more a case of the fog sort of washing back and forth. One moment my position and nearby ridges would clear and I’d see the overcast sky above (as in this photograph), but a few minutes later another wave of fog would expand out of the valleys and I’d be socked in again. So I set up and waited and watched and ended up with several photographs that I like.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Locations

Photographing Death Valley – Part 1

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This material concerning Death Valley is unavailable while revisions are underway. Thanks for your understanding. In the meantime, I will respond to comments left on this page.

(Update 3/22/13: The planned update to this article has been long-delayed, and for that I apologize. It turns out that the way I want to approach the subject in the revised version is a bit more complicated than I expected. I had anticipated completing an update in early 2013, but I decided to wait until after this year’s shoot in Death Valley so that I would write with that experience fresh in my mind.)

Also, more (but not all!) of my Death Valley photography is found here: https://gdanmitchell.com/gallery/v/NaturalWorld/TheLandscape/Desert/DeathValley/

(Note: After a conversation with a friend who is a retired Yosemite ranger, in which he articulately explained why he has concerns about sharing overly specific information about sensitive and fragile places too widely, I have decided to revise this article about photographing Death Valley. The goal is to remove some of the unnecessarily specific details about places that don’t need a lot more publicity, and to let photographers who are new this wonderful park learn about it the way I did and continue to do – by slowly exploring and adding to my knowledge and experience of the place rather than looking for a quick list of the “great shots.” I hope you’ll understand.

© Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.