Category Archives: Photographs: Southern California

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

Desert Clouds, Evening

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Desert Clouds, Evening
“Desert Clouds, Evening” — Sunset light colors evening clouds above Death Valley.

Let’s call this a moment of peace and calm in a world that sometimes seems too tumultuous. I photographed this cloud formation above Death Valley on a quiet evening, alone in a high place above the valley as the day ended. I was there to photograph the landscape, but at this moment it was the cloudscape that caught my attention.

It isn’t news that clouds are fascinating. While they often appear as supporting acts in landscape photography, sometimes they form temporary “cloudscapes” on their own. That ephemeral quality is part of their magic — one moment there might me nothing there, but soon they silently assemble into fascinating shapes and juxtapositions, only to dissolve and re-form a moment later.

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

Sunrise, Lake Manley and Panamint Mountains

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Sunrise, Lake Manley and Panamint Mountains
“Sunrise, Lake Manly and Panamint Mountains” — Sunrise on the Panamint Mountains reflected in the ephemeral waters of Lake Manly

This is a photograph that is normally not possible in Death Valley — The image of a snow-capped mountain range reflected in the extensive waters of a gigantic lake. These are the Panamint Mountains, rising to over 11,000 feet on the far side of Death Valley. This winter the playa was covered by the shallow waters of ephemeral Lake Manly.

It was hard to resist the symmetry of this scene with the reflection in the still water was a near duplicate of the distant scene. I made the photograph after the morning sun had arrived on the higher peaks, but before it had worked its way down to the valley floor, thus the dark band across the middle of the image.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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, Photographs: Southern California

Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains

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Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains
“Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains” — Layers of colorful dawn clouds above Searles Valley and distant peaks of Death Valley National Park.

The distant peaks seen here are within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park, but I was a good distance outside the park when I made the photograph. I had gone to the Trona Pinnacles, outside the extractive mining town of Trona to photograph. But the visual action wasn’t that at the pinnacles that morning — it was far to the north above these snow-capped desert mountains, where lenticular clouds caught the dawn light and momentarily glowed with intense color.

The town of Trona is like many desert towns in Southern California and the Southwest. It is far from being a ghost town, but it has the air of a place whose best days are distinctly behind it. The economy is built around extractive industries, in particular mining the mineral deposits of the Searles Valley playa. People still live and work here, but a drive past the town reveals abandoned homes and businesses, left to decay in the desert sun and wind.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Peak, Clearing Storm

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Desert Peak, Clearing Storm
“Desert Peak, Clearing Storm” — Clearing clouds swirl around the summit of a desert mountain following overnight snowfall.

If you are unfamiliar with the place, you may be surprised that this scene is in Death Valley National Park. That desert park is famous for recording the hottest recorded temperature on planet, known for its arid playas and immense sand dunes. But there are mountains, too, some of which reach as much as 11,000′ above that dry valley. During the winter they are cold places and snow is common.

In mid-March I arrived at the park at the tail end of a series of stormy days. It had rained in the valley — apparently enough that some campers departed early — and snowed at the higher elevations. The Panamint Mountains towered to my right as I drove into the park through the Panamint Valley. Although the rain had mostly stopped at the lower elevations, snow flurries continued among the peaks.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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