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: Wildlife

Crane in Sunrise Light

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Sandhill Crane in Sunrise Light
“Crane in Sunrise Light” — A lesser sandhill crane flies into the sunrise light, Central Valley.

Several things had to come together for this photograph of a lesser sandhill crane to work. Obviously, the bird had to fly above me at a relatively low height. That’s not as simple as it sounds, as cranes usually divert to avoid flying over people. The light was also special — it was the warmly colored light just after sunrise, when the sun is low enough to illuminate the underside of the bird. On top of that, the bird was flying toward the sun, so the light hits it almost head-on, while appears as side light from the camera position.

Cranes can be quite beautiful birds in flight. In contrast to some of the geese and ducks found in the Central Valley of California, they tend to move their wings more slowly and often simply glide. They are big, impressive birds, too — they stand several feed tall when on the ground.

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” from Heyday Books, is available directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Mannequin, Madrid

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Photo of a mannequin, Madrid
“Mannequin, Madrid” — A colorfully dressed mannequin on a Madrid street.

We went on a long walk on this morning in Madrid. First we trekked from our hotel near the opera house to the Sunday El Rastro street market, a wildly popular collection of hundreds of street vendors that draws huge crowds. As we began to loop back towards where we started, at some point we passed this colorful mannequin.

One of the pleasures of street photography is that I pay more attention to my surroundings. I notice things that probably would not have registered if I were not carrying a camera. At this point I don’t recall all of the details of this location, but I do know that this mannequin presented a stark and somewhat surprising contrast with the relatively mundane surroundings.

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” from Heyday Books, is available directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Overhanging Canyon Narrows

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Overhanging Canyon Narrows, Death Valley National Park
“Overhanging Canyon Narrows” — Tall cliffs overhang a section of winding canyon narrows, Death Valley.

I make (at least) one annual photography trip to Death Valley National Park, and I’ve been doing so for something like two decades. My favorite time to visit is in the winter. This year’s trip was during the final days of February — the calendar said winter but a heat wave made it feel more like summer, with temperatures up to ninety degrees. Many areas of the park were inaccessible due to washed out roads and to construction, so I visited a few familiar places and went to a couple of new ones.

This slot canyon is an old favorite, and I have hiked and photographed it several times in the past. The “slots” are great destination on days, like this one, when it is both windy and hot. Death Valley slot canyons are different than the better-known Utah-style slots. They often feature rather dark rock, and the slots are often shorter. In this canyon there are several sections of these narrow passages, but in between there are longer sections of open canyon.

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.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Unclassified

A Narrow Passage.

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A narrow walkway at night, Zaragoza, Spain.
“A Narrow Passage.” — A narrow walkway at night, Zaragoza, Spain

One of our pleasures when we travel is just plain wandering. While we do hit some of the “must see” sites, we also just go out and walk, sometimes without any specific goal. We think this is one of the best ways to get a feel for a city — to plunge in and go where the locals are, even if lack of language skills and cultural familiarity may us feel a bit awkward. That is more or less how I ended up in this spot.

This is an interesting street (walkway? passage?) in Zaragoza. It is very narrow, rivaling some of the remarkably narrow passageways in Venice. It was almost deserted — a few people passed by before I made the photograph. But that wasn’t because it was late — it was because it was too early! In Zaragoza the restaurant and bars that line this walkway open late, well after our familiar American dinner hour. A bit later these shuttered businesses would open and people would populate the scene.

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” from Heyday Books, is available directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
Articles | Sales | Sierra Nevada Fall Color | Contact Info

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.