Category Archives: Photographs: Northern California

Photographs from Northern California

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Buds in Soft Light

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Buds in Soft Light
The tiny branch and incipient flowers of a California plant.

Buds in Soft Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The tiny branch and incipient flowers of a California plant.

Readers and viewers have probably figured out by now that I’m anything but an expert on plant identification. I often recognize a plant from experience, know where and how it grows… and have little or no idea what it is called. There are some exceptions, and I’m not entirely unable to name familiar plants. But I do — as some recently noticed — still sometimes get it entirely wrong. All of this is an introduction to saying that I have no idea at all what this very small plant actually is.

Yet, I was intrigued by it. With a macro lens I could get close enough to reveal some details that would otherwise be easy to miss, including the subtle magenta shading of the buds. I made the photograph very late in the day as I was returning from a hike in Bay Area hills.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Sea of Dogwood Blossoms

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Sea of Dogwood Blossoms
A dense expanse of spring dogwood blossoms.

Sea of Dogwood Blossoms. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A dense expanse of spring dogwood blossoms.

This amazingly thick mass of dogwood blooms comes from a tree I mentioned in an earlier post. We had gone to a location where we sometimes photograph dogwoods (and many other things), but we knew that the trees we usually look for would have almost completely dropped their blossoms by now. However, to our surprise and pleasure, there was a tree that we did not know about, and it had more dogwood blossoms than any tree I’ve seen before.

The light was extremely soft due to the late hour. I would usually photograph smaller groups of flowers or even individual blossoms, typically in a more straight-on fashion. But these branches were at eye level and higher, so I decided to photograph across them and show their extent.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Acanthus

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Acanthus
Acanthus plants in a San Francisco Peninsula garden.

Acanthus. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Acanthus plants in a San Francisco Peninsula garden.

This clump of acanthus stalks was growing in a lush, green area of this garden. We were there in the early evening, and the soft light fills that shadows and reveals details that might be hidden in harsher conditions. In many places the stalks were growing close to other plants, but here they grew along and provided some distance to separate them from the rest of the garden.

The stems are striking — almost vertical (though these do lean a bit) and thick, covered with thick, patterned leaves that include green, purple, and almost black colors. Up close you can also see that there are stickers on some of the leaves.

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.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Soap Plant Flower

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Soap Plant Flower
Soap plant flower and stem with insects.

Soap Plant Flower. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Soap plant flower and stem with insects.

This plant isn’t one that I recognize, even though I’ve hiked past its location for decades, apparently without noticing it at all. I also will admit that I’m less that 100% certain of its identification, though “soap plant” seems to fit in terms of appearance, location, and type of habitat. It has a very delicate little flower, and this one is covered with insects which I presume must be feeding on it.

The trail where I spotted the plant is one of my favorites when I just want to get out for a quick hike or when I’m working to build fitness for bigger walking trips. It is typically a peaceful place, starting in open grasslands, and along the way passing through groves of oak trees and California bay laurel.

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.

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.