Category Archives: Photographs: Nature

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Dawn Fog, California Hills

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Dawn Fog, California Hills
Sunrise fog drifts across springtime California hills under overcast skies.

Dawn Fog, California Hills. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunrise fog drifts across springtime California hills under overcast skies.

The fact that I’m unable to be in the field making new photographs right now is a good reminder that photography is more than taking a camera into the field to find and capture subjects. There is a lot that happens before the exposure — perhaps years of accumulated experience with subjects and how they might be photographs. And there is a lot that happens after the exposure — review, selection, experimentation, carrying out the plan for images that I had in mind when I made the exposures, and more. For now I’m living photographically mostly in that post-exposure world.

I photographed this scene on a memorable morning last spring in a remote area of California hills. I was there to photograph flowers, but this lovely morning of fog and soft dawn light distracted me. It was one of those wonderful unexpected moments in photography that reminded me of how much serendipity is involved in this endeavor.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Nature

Winter Foliage

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Winter Foliage
A close-up view of winter plants in a formal garden.

Winter Foliage. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A close-up view of winter plants in a formal garden.

This photograph comes from a more innocent time… almost two months ago. Remember? That was back when we were just starting to become away of the potential of the corona virus, when we were still often able to convince ourselves that it would not happen here — wherever your “here” may be. A matter of a few weeks later we truly began to understand how serious this would become — but back then it was possible to spend a morning driving to a place with a large public garden, to spend hours with other people enjoying the place, and to go out for coffee or lunch afterwards. I look forward to the eventual return of such pleasures.

Patty is passionate about photographing flowers and plants, and every so often I’m inspired to give it a try, too. I have a macro lens for one of my cameras, and I took it along on this visit. It was early in the California growing season so the number of flowers was a bit limited, so many of my photographs that day focused on leaves and branches and trunks. I got down very close to these plants to try to isolate their forms from the 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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Dune Waves

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Dune Waves
Waves of sand dunes retreat toward distance desert mountains, Death Valley National Park

Dune Waves. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Waves of sand dunes retreat toward distance desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

As photographers, we often take a great deal of photographic license in our creative interpretations of subjects. It is a myth, quite frankly, that some kind of objectively “pure” version of a photograph even exists. And if such a thing did exist, it seems like it would usually be a pretty boring thing for everyone except those using photographs as evidence of a thing. Most of us prefer photographs as a mode of expression, a sharing of the photographer’s way of seeing the world. I like to think that a good photograph or group of photographs tells us more about the person making the images than it tells us about the putative subject.

Sand dune landscapes lend themselves especially well to this way to this approach. While they do have a real geological appeal, when you look at them from an aesthetic perspective they are perhaps less about the fact of sand and more about light, line, weight, form, and color. They are never the same — the light changes, the conditions alter them, and each of us sees them differently. In this interpretation I decided to work in high-key and monochrome, hopefully creating a photograph that reflects the quiet stillness of the static wave forms of the dunes.

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 and Amazon.

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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.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Temblor Range HIlls, Spring Evening

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Temblor Range HIlls, Spring Evening
A fence cuts across wildflower-covered Temblor Range hills on a spring evening.

Temblor Range HIlls, Spring Evening. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A fence cuts across wildflower-covered Temblor Range hills on a spring evening.

This spring hillside was in early evening sun when I arrived, and as I set up to photograph the green folds and brightly colored wildflowers, the line between sunset light and shadow worked its way up the hillside. I looked around for a composition and thought that the old fence might tie things together.

At about this time each year, depending upon how wet the winter was, the California hills undergo a sudden and relatively brief transformation. First, winter rains cause last year’s seeds to come to life and send up carpets of new, green growth. Then, as the green phase approaches its conclusion, wildflowers show up. In a few places like this one, in an especially good year, entire mountains erupt in brilliant color.

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 and Amazon.

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.

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