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

Death Valley Buttes, Morning

February 5, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early morning light on the summit of the Death Valley Buttes, with the Panamint Range in the distance, Death Valley National Park, California.

I found several things in this scene that I often look for in Death Valley, or in other similar places for that matter. I’m always intrigued by the small plants that grow along these very barren and rocky areas, sometimes – as here – along with a few cacti. And of course it is hard to resist the golden early morning light, especially when it is juxtaposed with one of my favorite subjects, more distant mountains somewhat obscured by haze. On top of that, I liked the almost abstract shapes of these forms and combination of the warm sunlight on the foreground hills and the cooler, blue-tone light beyond.

I made this photograph on a morning when I really did not have a specific shooting plan, or perhaps I might say that I had a “negative plan” defining what I was not going to photograph – I set out to not go to some of the familiar and more iconic locations in Death Valley, on this morning and to some extent on this trip. So I ended up on a road that eventually crosses the Amargosa Range and heads off toward Beatty Nevada. I knew I was looking for some sort of juxtaposition of the forms on the outcroppings and buttes up higher on the large gravel fan in this part of the Valley and I knew that I wanted to photograph the early light – but exactly where to do this was not clear. As I drove I passed some promising locations and finally stopped at a pull-out near this site, put on a long lens, and made this and several other photographs from this spot.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Levee, Fog, and Sandhill Cranes

February 4, 2012 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A row of sandhill cranes pass above a levee on a foggy winter morning, Central Valley of California.

This is yet another photograph in which my landscape photographer brain perhaps took over from my wildlife photographer brain. I wrote elsewhere that even when I shoot wildlife, I often catch myself thinking about the landscape in any of several ways. While the birds are overhead, I’m purely in wildlife photographer mode, but during pauses in the action my eyes drift off to fix on elements of the landscape that might make interesting photographs.

Sometimes I put the two together and use a technique that, perhaps oddly, I also apply when doing some kinds of street photography. In essence, I think about what I can control in the scene, namely the fixed landscape elements, and I more or less create a composition with a “hole” in it where transient elements like birds might fit. Now I obviously have no control at all over what the birds will do or when and where they will pass through the frame, so there is an element of chance in all of this. Using a zoom lens helps, in that I can quickly reframe the scene if the birds happen to be lower or higher when they pass by. Needless to say, there is a lot of waiting involved, some of it which could be slightly frustrating as birds fly past just above the frame or too far away, or too low. But every so often they do pass though in an appealing location. To further blur the landscape/wildlife photography lines, I frequently do what I did in the sequence of images from which this frame comes – I pan with the camera on the tripod as the birds move along. In this case, I have to make instant landscape decisions as the background, formerly-fixed elements are now moving in the frame. Yes, landscape photography as an action sport!

Deals and Sales

Canon Lens/Speedlite Promotion Ending

February 3, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

I’m going to interrupt the usual stream of photographs to provide extensive information about the current Canon “instant rebate” offer at site-sponsor B&H… and include direct links to the eligible equipment. The promotion includes a great variety of gear, including a number of very desirable lenses and the discounts are worth your attention if you are considering any of the eligible products… and today is just about the last day to take advantage of this since the promotion is ending. (I purchased two lenses for myself!)

More information and a full list of eligible products appears after the break.

Canon extended the ‘instant rebate’ promotion into early February. If you are going to purchase from site sponsor B&H, the last full day to do so is SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012 – but please note that B&H has very limited ordering hours on Saturday, the final day of the promotion, so it is better to make your purchases today. Click the following “read more” link to see the details.

Continue reading Canon Lens/Speedlite Promotion Ending →

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Tree and Bird-Filled Morning Sky

February 3, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Giant flocks of migratory birds fill the winter sky above the Central Valley of California.

There are times when the number of migratory birds visible in California’ Central Valley approaches the level of unbelievable. As we photographed them near the end of January, at one point we noticed that there are almost always more birds than you think you see. Your attention might be caught by a formation of birds flying not too far above. But if you look beyond them you might see another formation up higher. And if you look more closely you might find even more birds higher and further away. For me it is common to review a photograph that I made of one grouping only to discover many, many more that I had not even seen when I made the exposure.

During a lull in the action directly overhead, I looked a bit further out to the east and noticed what might best be described as a “cloud of birds” rising from an area perhaps a mile or more away. At first the cloud stuck together, but soon it began to thin and separate into smaller groups. If you look more closely at this little jpg version of the image, you may still be able to see even more birds than were apparent at first glance. The sidelight on the tree and the plants growing around the pond comes from very early morning sunlight shortly after dawn.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

All posts by G Dan Mitchell

Death Valley Buttes, Morning

Canon Lens/Speedlite Promotion Ending

Tree and Bird-Filled Morning Sky

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.