Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Dramatic clouds above Death Valley mountains at the end of the day.
From time to time I like to revisit my black and white roots. I started photography quite a few years ago, and back then everything was black and white for me. (Color slide film was available, but I didn’t use that until some time later. ) I learned to develop and print in black and white, and I certainly learned to see that way. So black and white is still at the heart of my photography.
In this photograph I made a conscious effort to channel a particular (and perhaps familiar?) approach to monochromatic landscape, relying not just on capturing an image of a particular scene but also on producing an interpretation of that scene using the tools of the digital darkroom. The experience of photographing the scene was special and a bit surprising. After a day of decidedly so-so light I set up on an elevated vantage point in the early evening, not necessarily expecting great light but ready if it should arrive. And it did arrive during the final minutes of daylight just before the sun dropped below a desert mountain range behind my camera position.
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 | Facebook | Email
Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.
Scroll down to leave a comment or question.
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.