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

Desert Mountain Sunset

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Desert Mountain Sunset
“Desert Mountain Sunset” — Golden hour light on desert mountains, Death Valley.

The final full day of our pre-Christmas visit to Death Valley was mostly not ideal for photography. A winter storm was approaching, and most of the day was quite gray. We managed to get out and photograph in some canyons, but by mid-afternoon the prospects were deteriorating rapidly, and we decided to take a break. Somewhat later, without warning, there was a brief clearing before sunset… so off we went to take advantage of the light!

The best light appeared to be well north of us, so we loaded up the vehicle and headed that way. By this time the light was evolving quickly, partially as a result of the changing atmospheric conditions but also because it was late in the day. When I saw the colorful light on these somewhat distant, rugged mountains I stopped and put a long lens on the camera so that I could capture the scene before the light faded.

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Stained Glass, Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire

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Stained Glass, Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire
“Stained Glass, Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire” — Columns and stained glass windows in the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire.

We came to the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire midway rhrough a very long walk in Brussels, last year. The idea was to go beyond the busy central old district where we were staying to see some other parts of the city. (That central district has a lot to offer, but it is not the whole of Brussels.) We came to the church, walked around it outside, then entered. We were almost the only people there, probably because it isn’t on the tourist map.

It is a beautiful church, full of light from its extensive and tall stained glass windows. In some ways it brought to mind La Chapelle of Paris, though here you could just walk into it. (Accessing La Chapelle is trickier due to its location and security concerns.) I made this photograph along one side of the church where morning light was gently streaming through those beautiful windows.

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Photographer, Manly Lake

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Photographer, Manly Lake
“Photographer, Manly Lake” — A photographer wades in shallow waters of Manly Lake, Death Valley.

As I photographed the landscape another photographer worked her way out onto the shallow water at the edge of Manly Lake. At first I managed to photograph around her, but before long she moved directly into m frame. At this point it occurred to me that she could become the subject of a photograph herself.

Her presence illustrates something that may not be obvious about this desert lake — it is extremely shallow! This makes sense once you think about the nature of the terrain here This is Badwater Basin, a broad playa containing the lowest elevation in Death Valley. It is nearly flat, and differences in elevation on the playa are measured in centimeters. She was able to find places to step that were perhaps only a centimeter or two higher than the water. (From the Department of Awful Puns, it occurred to me that a fun alternative title for this photo could be “Photograph Her, Manly Lake.”)

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Hillside

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Autumn Hillside
“Autumn Hillside” — Aspens and other autumn foliage, Utah.

This is another photograph from “nowhere in particular,” a location where I often find myself while searching for subjects. It turns out that there’s a lot of interesting stuff to see there if you slow down a bit and keep your eyes open. This slope is on the west side of a range of Utah mountains that overlooks much lower desert country, and I photographed it late in the day when the light was warm-toned and soft.

I suppose that this photograph violates a few of the “rules” about having a clear primary subject and so on. But here the main focus isn’t a single thing — it is the overall wash of color and texture on this hillside. Where is this spot? I can say that it is in the Dixie National Forest, but that is about as specific as I’ll be!

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.