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.
Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trees, Meadow and Path

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Trees, Meadow and Path
“Trees, Meadow and Path” — A wilderness path leads past a small creek, meadow, and trees to the shoreline of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake.

In late July I headed into the Sierra Nevada backcountry on a short backpack trip with a group of friends. The trip was special, as I first backpacked with some of them decades ago. It had been quite a while since I went into the wilderness with this gang — so it was something of a reunion. Of course, being the only photographer on the trip meant that I did end up spending some time alone, especially in the early mornings.

Why is that? Well, apparently normal people do not climb out of their sleeping bags when it is still cold and dark outside, and then head out carrying photography gear to look for composition in the pre-dawn light. I hear that most o them, in fact, stay in their sleeping bags, waiting for the sun to warm their tents! I spent a couple of early hours wandering this alpine landscape, making this photograph before the direct sunlight had yet arrived here.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Curving Portico

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Curving Portico
“Curving Portico” — Light spills into a curving portico and walkway in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

I can’t quite put my finger on precisely what it is, but the town of Santiago de Compostela, Spain has a different feeling than many others of about the same size. There are tourists, of course — but many of the visitors are completing a long camino. You’ll see lots of people carrying backpacks, and not the usual traveler’s carry-on luggage packs. Aside from the Cathedral and its large square, the scale of the place fells a bit smaller and more intimate.

In a few areas there are portico-covered walkways. Most streets do not have them, but where they exist they provide welcome shade and escape from the weather. I photographed this example, with lovely soft light shining between the pillars, during a moment when it was completely deserted.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Trunks and Needles

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Trunks and Needles
“Trunks and Needles” — Trunks and needles at the base of a small copse of Sierra Nevada backcountry trees.

It was early evening, and I had been working subjects along the shoreline of a subalpine Sierra Nevada lake. There’s lots to see in such places — the shoreline itself, meadows ringing the lake, boulders scattered here and there. As the light over the lake became less interesting my attention turned to the nearby lodgepole pine forest.

While the lake was fairly well-lit, with nothing to block the remaining light, the forest was dark and mysterious. As I poked around the forest’s edge I found several examples of twisting trees growing very closely together and catching the colorful reflected light.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Fountain of the Horses, Santiago de Compostela

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Fountain of the Horses, Santiago de Compostela
“Fountain of the Horses, Santiago de Compostela” — Morning tourists near the “Fonte de Cabalos” (Fountain of the Horses) in Santiago de Compostela.

The “Fountain of the Horses” (“Fuente de los Caballos“) is a two-centuries-old monument in the Praza das Pratarías, a small square near various sacred buildings in the city. Its name comes from the four horses at the base of the statue. We passed though the square several times during our May visit.

While the fountain was on my mind when I made the photograph, it wasn’t the main thing that I was thinking about. (I mostly thought of it as a compositional element.) I was intrigued by the arrangement of buildings on the street at and around the square and by the morning light coming straight down a narrow street to the left… and also by the positions and colors of the people in the square.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.