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.
“Tufa Tower, Lake, Blue Mountains” — Mono Lake, a solitary tufa tower, and distant blue mountains in morning haze.
It is always a pleasure to visit the Mono Basin and its namesake lake, especially in the early morning when it is often still and quiet. I was there last week, dropping down one morning from a camp high up near the Sierra Crest. When I arrived I saw only one other car, and ts occupant was nowhere to be seen — it was as if I had the entire basin to myself!
I arrived well before sunrise and continued photographing right into the blue light of early morning. It was calm and the water reflected the blue of sky and distant mountains. I used a long lens to focus on a small section of those mountains, aligning them with a single tufa tower far out in the water.
“Fog at Forest’s Edge” — Morning fog drifts among forest trees after rain, Yosemite National Park.
There is enough of a story behind this photograph that I will eventually post an article about it in my “A Photograph Exposed” series. It involved an afternoon and evening of heavy rain, a subsequent morning of fog and mist, moisture-enhanced colors, and a subject that I have almost intentionally chosen not to photograph much at all for decades. It is, obviously, a scene where a forest meets a wet meadow, photographed on a morning when fog drifted from that meadow and through the trees.
I was up early — likely around 4:00AM — since I suspected that there might be fog and mist on this morning after heavy rain. As I drove over a pass to get here there were piles of hail everywhere from the previous evening’s storm. Soon I came to a familiar small lake — the one that I almost never photograph — and I saw fog rising from the lake and drifting into the trees.
“Trogir Waterfront, Morning” — Morning along the waterfront as clouds build, Trogir, Croatia.
I made this photograph close to the conclusion of early morning photography in Trogir, Croatia. We arrived in the old town on the island before sunrise and photographed the nearly deserted narrow, cobblestone streets, the architecture, and a few people who were out early, getting the town ready for the coming onslaught of visitors. As we finished — and before stoping for coffee nearby — we emerged on this side of the island, facing the channel between it and the part of the town across the water.
It was a really lovely morning. The warm sunlight was muted a bit as clouds appeared and a large thunderstorm appeared to develop over the city of Split, down the coast. Here we just had the over-spill from that mighty cloud — just enough to make the sky more interesting and to soften the light a bit.
“Chinese Houses Flowers” — Purple Chinese houses wildflowers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I have often wondered about the popular name of these “Chinese houses” flowers — what the connection could possibly be with houses from China. Regardless, they are among the spring wildflowers that grow in the oak forests and grasslands around the San Francisco Bay Area, including a trail through a park south of San Jose where I photographed these specimens.
Some flowers are pretty easy to photograph — they are colorful and have shapes that are easy to photograph. (Close-ups of some flowers are tricky due to the narrow depth of field at short distances.) I’ve never found the Chinese houses easy to photograph. It is difficult to find a plant on which all of the buds are in this colorful stage — usually some are not open or already turning brown. The plant often grows low to the ground among other distracting elements. Bright sun can create dark shadows and wash out details. So I was pleased to find this group in an areas of soft, shaded light and to find all of the flowers open and colorful.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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