All posts by G Dan Mitchell

G Dan Mitchell, photographer and visual opportunist focusing on the Pacific coast, the Sierra Nevada, redwood forests, California oak/grasslands, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography and more. Posting daily photographs since 2005, along with articles, reviews, news, and ideas.

Two Towers

Two Towers
“Two Towers” — Two backlit sandstone towers, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Stopping to photograph these formations was almost an afterthought. We had been far down a remote road in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument photographing even more obscure locations, and we were headed back towards Escalante. Not being familiar with this area back then, I was surprised when we stopped here along the way, but then this little red rock garden began to attract me.

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Southern Death Valley

Southern Death Valley
“Southern Death Valley” — Desert gold wildflowers, dark hills with ancient Lake Manly shoreline terraces.

There is something. a little unusual about this post. I didn’t pick this photograph so much for aesthetic reasons as for its inclusion of some fascinating features in this part of Death Valley. Let’s start with the obvious. There are desert gold wildflowers in the foreground, but if you look closely you can see many more of them across this broad Vally on the dark hillside. Keep reading to learn something about that hillside.

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Imaginary Landscape — Blue Sand

Imaginary Landscape — Blue Sand
“Imaginary Landscape — Blue Sand” — An imaginary landscape of blue sand.

My “imaginary landscape” photographs are based on actual photographs of landscape subjects that are modified and re-purposed in ways that hake to attempt at literal portrayal of actual landscapes. In these images I take the landscape-based materials and explore what else they can be.

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Lake Manly, Morning Clouds, Reflection

Manly Lake, Morning Clouds, Reflection
“Lake Manly, Morning Clouds, Reflection” — Panamint Range and morning clouds reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

This season I took advantage of the rare opportunity to photograph reflections of desert mountains in Death Valley. We were there just before Christmas 2025 and then again near the end of February 2026. The Lake Manly was there both times, though it had visibly diminished on the second visit. But from up close its surface still reflected the surrounding mountains and sky.

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