Category Archives: Photographs: Southern California

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Southern California

Afternoon, Upper Bubbs Creek

August 13, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late afternoon light on the forest and distant peaks on Upper Bubbs Creek, Kings Canyon National Park.

Since this photograph comes from an entirely different adventure, a bit of background information is probably in order. Among my summer pack trips, each year I join my friends from the talusdancers, a loosely connected group of folks who like to backpack, for at least one “big trip” in the Sierra. I’ve been doing this for nearly 15 years now. This year’s trip revisited some familiar spots (Tyndall Creek in the upper Kern), some that I had not visited for quite a few years (Forrester Pass), and one area that I have never before visited despite thinking about it for over 30 years (Milestone Basin and the Lake South America area). Near the end of July we headed out of Onion Valley to cross Kearsarge Pass, turned south to enter the Upper Kern River drainage via Forrester Pass, explored there for a few day, and then exited by way of brutal Shepherd Pass.

Forrester Pass is the second-highest point on the John Muir Trail (or “the JMT,” as most refer to it) at 13,200′, and we planned to cross it from north to south on the third day of our trip. At the end of day two we dropped down to Vidette Meadow and then headed up canyon to upper Bubbs Creek where the old Center Basin trail splits off from the main JMT where we made camp. This photograph was made in the late afternoon as we lazed about, doing a bit of laundry and thinking about the big climb ahead of us the next day. The view beyond the foreground and the closer trees is back down the canyon of Bubbs Creek, with the lowering sun lighting the canyon walls.

This photograph is 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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Erosion Patterns in Afternoon Light, Zabriskie Point

May 27, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Slightly overcast afternoon light on erosion patterns in the Gower Gulch area of Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

After posting such a long string of close views of the hills at Zabriskie Point… it is starting to become difficult to say much original and new about the photographs in this series! This one was made rather late in the afternoon – about 4:00 p.m. – when the light is usually still too harsh and bright for most photography here. Fortunately, some high and thin clouds diffused the light a bit – but still didn’t take the light too far in the soft direction.

It perhaps goes without saying that this another in my series of long-lens studies of small elements of the large and iconic scene at this location. I’ve photographed this particular bit of folded geology before, and I’m still interested in the combination of soft, almost organic shapes and the crazy patterns of lines and shapes heading every which way. From lower left to upper right the lines shift almost completely.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 200mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 second

keywords: gower, gulch, zabriskie, point, erosion, gully, ridge, hill, crack, dirt, curve, fold, geology, shadow, light, afternoon, overcast, diffuse, death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, detail, stock

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

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light

May 24, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Eroded and folded patterns of gullies and rounded hills in morning light – Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Part of the recent series of photographs of details of the amazing landforms around Zabriskie Point, this image includes a small section where the folds of the earth line up one behind the other almost like waves – albeit rather soft and rounded waves. This was shot during the “best light” period of early morning when the light from the rising sun angles across these shapes, here softened a bit by some high clouds that were present in this morning.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 210mm
ISO 200, f/14, 1/125 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, gower, wash, zabriskie, light, shadow, pattern, fold, earth, geology, abstract, landscape, nature, desert, rounded, gully, hill, stock

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

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light – Zabriskie Point

May 14, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A sea of pastel erosion patterns in diffused early morning light below Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Off to the left of the “classic views” from Zabriskie point is a series of hills and gullies extending back to the south-southeast which catches the early morning cross-light as the sun comes up. Depending upon the lighting conditions the color of these hills can range from white-gray, through golden, to reddish, and almost black, with bluish tones in some cases. The patterns run every which way as the gullies draining these hills ultimately head to Gower Wash and then into Death Valley. In the foreground of this scene is a solitary ridge that has the remnant of an older layer of darker stratified material.

On the morning when I made this photograph the sun had just come up over the hills to the east, but clouds in that direction were partially blocking the light which quickly changed between full dawn sun and light filtered by the clouds. At the moment I made this exposure a bit of the more direct light hit the foreground strata fragment and a few spots further away, but softer cloud-filtered light fell on many parts of the scene.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 105mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/100 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, light, erosion, pattern, hill, geology, valley, crack, gully, rock, layer, strata, diagonal, landscape, scenic, travel, desert, southern, pastel, stock

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