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

Christmas Vendor, Montpellier

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Christmas Vendor, Montpeillier
“Christmas Vendor, Montpeillier” — A street vendor sells Christmas items on a narrow street with hoiday “cloths’ hung overhead.

Our December visit to Montpellier, France obviously took place during the holiday season. Although it was cold and occasionally rainy while we were there, the streets were often filled with shoppers and others out on the town. The colorful cloths tied to lines spanning the narrow streets were everywhere. I later read that these come out for many holidays and special occasions here.

Along this narrow street a nearby shop had expanded its space outside along the walkway, offering holiday cards and similar items to passers-by. It was daytime when I made the photograph, but this street is so narrow and the buildings so tall, that it felt like twilight on the walkway — except here were lights were turned on.

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.