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Plants in the Canyon

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Plants in the Canyon, Death Valley
“Plants in the Canyon” — A desert holly plant manages to survive on a gravel wash deep in a Death Valley canyon.

Winter is my favorite time to explore Death Valley. Occasional weather fronts pass by, producing interesting clouds and some precipitation. The temperatures are far more comfortable, and it can even be cold in the mountains. I usually time my visits for December or January, though I’ll visit as late as the beginning of April, by which time it is noticeably heating up. This year I went at the end of February, and I was pleased to run into fewer people than usual.

I drove out to this remote canyon in the middle of the day, then loaded up the pack and walked a few miles into it. I think I saw only two other small groups the entire time. The route passed through some wonderful canyon narrows, and I paused to photograph them going in and then again coming back out. I paused here because the canyon itself was interesting but also because of the green desert holly plant growing in the gravel of the wash.

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

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Photographs: Nature

Yellow Tulip Bud #2

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Yellow Tulip Bud #2
“Yellow Tulip Bud #2” — A yellow tulip bud on the verge of blossoming.

This may seem like an odd admission, but the way I make these flower photographs has more in common with how I do street photography than, say, landscape photography. Because the subject appears to be still, you could think that I probably carefully pick a flower, set up a tripod, analyze the light, focus, and then make the photograph. The reality is that I shoot all of these with a small handheld camera, and I rarely spend more than a minute on a flower and often less.

I think part of this is because I have a general sense of what I’m looking for beforehand. As seen here, I’m on the lookout for a flower (or flowers) with an interesting shape, a relatively flawless form, good light, and a background with some potential. I spend a lot of time looking for the right combination, and when I find it I spend less time actually making the photograph.

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

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ride the Tiger

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Ride the Tiger, a carousel in Paris at Night
“Ride the Tiger” — A woman taking a ride on a Paris carousel at night.

Last December we were out for a cold afternoon and evening walk in Paris, and on our way back towards our hotel we passed a carousel set up in a square near shops and other upscale amenities, apparently as part of holiday season events. I could not resist making a few photographs of the merry-go-round and its patrons.

Most of my night photographs are as sharply focused as the images I create in the daytime. But sometimes I like to take advantage of the low light levels and play with longer handheld exposures that incorporate motion blur. In cases like this one the blur better suggests the motion in the scene.

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

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

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

Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains

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Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains
“Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains” — Shallow salt flat water reflects the first light on the Panamint Mountains.

During my late-February visit to Death Valley National Park, I spent two early mornings photographing the Panamint Mountains in the first light, with the salt flats and shallow water in the foreground. The water is not the ephemeral “Lake Manly” phenomenon that we saw in 2024. This is a slow, shallow flow of water that seems to continue all year, regardless of conditions. It is just enough water to produce these reflections.

These days I photograph almost exclusively with a full frame digital system. (Sometimes I use a smaller APS-C system, often for my street and travel photography.) I usually use a pretty straightforward set of lenses that work well for my landscape photography, but occasionally I bring out an adapted medium format zoom lens and mount it using the Mirex tilt/shift adapter — yes, movements with a zoom lens! That was pretty useful for this photograph given the low light and the extreme distance between the foreground and the distant mountains.

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

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

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