Category Archives: Photographs: Southern California

Umbrellas, Getty Center Garden

Umbrellas, Getty Center Garden
Umbrellas, Getty Center Garden

Umbrellas, Getty Center Garden. Los Angeles, California. December 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Visitors walk through the garden on a rainy and foggy afternoon day at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California.

I’m probably just about the only person who goes to the Getty Center hoping for rain… and who is regards himself as lucky when he gets rain… and fog! :-)

We were in LA during the past week to visit my daughter and our son-in-law, and we decided to stop at the Getty on the start of our return drive to the SF Bay Area. I’m always fascinated by the grounds of the Getty and by the opportunities to photograph people on those grounds, and interesting weather makes this even more appealing. On top of that my daughter had told us about the wonderful Rembrandt exhibit and I was looking forward to the Irving Penn “Small Trades” photographs on display. (It is a great exhibit – see it if you are in the area.)

I often confess that as much as I enjoy the art at the Getty, I enjoy the Getty as architecture and urban landscape just as much. Although few of my Getty photographs appear here, I very much enjoy photographing the forms and lighting of the buildings and the gardens. It was raining lightly when we arrived, and by the time we made it up the hill fog had settled on the ridge. I actually made well over 100 exposures throughout the day. Many were shot quickly as momentary conjunctions of people and light and atmosphere appeared and just as quickly disappeared. I happened to find myself on a walkway overlooking the fogged-in garden just as a couple groups of umbrella-bearing visitors encountered one another near the sharp point of this path.

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.

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keywords: getty, center, art, museum, los angeles, california, usa, path, walk, sidewalk, people, man, woman, umbrella, tan, red, white, trees, silhouette, plant, lawn, grove, step, reflection, fog, mist, cloud, rain, shower, stock

P, With Umbrella, Getty Center

P, With Umbrella, Getty Center
P, With Umbrella, Getty Center

P, With Umbrella, Getty Center. Los Angeles, California. December 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Posted on our anniversary… :-)


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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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

Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light

Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light

Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light. Death Valley National Park, California. April 3, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Looking west from Aguereberry Point across high peaks of Death Valley National Park toward the Sierra Nevada.

In April of 2008 I spent a number of days photographing in and around Death Valley National Park. On the third day I finished driving down through Titus Canyon in the afternoon and found myself with some extra travel time, so I headed up to Aguereberry Point where there is a high and austere view of Death Valley. After photographing the Valley and watching the last light leave the valley floor I headed back to the parking area and pointed my camera west toward the setting sun and the distant ridges of the southern Sierra Nevada range.

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

keywords: aguereberry, point, death valley, national park, mountains, desert, dry, geology, geography, sunset, afternoon, light, black and white, ridge, atmospheric recession, valley, sierra nevada, distant, landscape, scenic, travel, california, usa

Grapevines at Sunset, Falkner Winery

Grapevines at Sunset, Falkner Winery
Grapevines at Sunset, Falkner Winery. Temecula, California. May 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Grapevines photographed against the sunset sky at the Falkner Winery near Temecula, California.

This photo is related to some of what I described in the previous post – my daughter’s recent wedding, which took place at this winery in Temecula. In early May we were there to make some arrangements, and in the evening I wandered off for a moment (as the father of the bride is prone to do… ;-) and photographed the new vines of the nearby vineyard late in the day.

keywords: grape, vines, leaves, grapevine, branch, stem, vineyard, winery, falkner, temecula, southern, california, usa, travel, vacation, nature, landscape, scenic, stock