I’m excited to announce that ELEMENTS Magazine has published my article on “Death Valley National Park: Photographing the Desert Landscape” in their August 2022 issue. It is an honor to have my photography and writing appear in the company of work by photographers I admire.
Baby Forest. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
Lodgepole pines growing at the edge of the meadow at Tioga Pass
While I often prefer to minimize the content of photographs when possible — some of my favorites qualify as minimalist images — I also have a weakness for trying to make photographs out of extremely dense subjects. (If you know a bit about “minimalism,” you may recognize that filling space with details can also be a characteristic.) Sometimes the pure density and complexity of the scene is enough, though at other times the challenge is in finding a viable composition among so much detail.
This little “baby forest” vignette is from high in the subalpine zone in the Yosemite Sierra, in the young forest near the edge of a meadow, a place where new trees can gain a foothold out of the literal shadows of the more established trees. Particularly in the early season — late spring and the start of summer — spots like this can be lush and full of new greenery and wildflowers.
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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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Clearing Storm, Evening. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
Summer thunder storm clouds clear at sunset above the Sierra Nevada crest, Yosemite National Park.
Photographic prospects seem to be distributed across a sort of bell curve. Most of the time the opportunities are fine and interesting, and it is possible to make decent photographs from what you find. Occasionally I find myself at one of the sharp ends of the curve. When at the end where nothing much seems to be happening, I remind myself that I’m storing up karma for those moments when the opposite happens. And if you are out there enough, these unbelievable moments will happen from time to time — and they are enough to keep you coming back.
This was a truly memorable evening that provided an embarrassment of visual riches. Soon after this trip, I came up with a series of four photographs in landscape orientation that traced the astonishing evolution of the light from late afternoon through dusk. Four seemed like plenty at the time, so I left the rest behind — some of which would normally have been keepers. This is one of those, made when I briefly shifted the camera to portrait orientation.
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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email
Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
Strolling, Le Marais. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
A couple strolls along a narrow Le Marais street, Paris.
This photograph comes from a 2016 visit to Paris… and a few other interesting European places. This narrow street is characteristic of this part of Paris, an area where some of the oldest original buildings and streets are still found.
This is also, in my opinion, one of the more interesting areas to photograph. As is the case with many gentrifying areas in big cities, lots of different populations come together here — tourists, members of more privileged classes, folks who may have lived here before it became trendy, various other folks passing through. The streets and the architecture are also fascinating, from the narrow and car-free lanes to the very old buildings and the interesting examples of street art.
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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email
Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.
Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.