Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Sea Stacks, Big Sur Coastline

February 3, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The receding ridges of the Big Sur coastline arc southward into winter haze beyond a pair of large sea stacks.

On the final day of January we did the “down and back” drive through the Big Sur area of California’s Pacific Coast Highway. This is my favorite time of year in this part of California. At one point along the drive I made a comment (as I often do while passing through here at this time of year) about how this weather felt more like a “typical summer day” than like a “typical winter day” – and then I quickly caught myself and recalled that “typical summer days” here often feature thick fog, wind, and cold. On the other hand, between Pacific storms – or during a dry year like this one – a typical winter day may feature brilliant sunshine and long vistas and temperatures that are as warm as those of summer here.

As the day developed I shifted from looking for the effects of first and early light coming over ridges and into canyons, or the thinning offshore clouds. Instead I started to think about the long coastal vistas, the intense reflection of the ocean seen from high places (which always makes me think of molten metal), and the way that the backlit atmosphere highlights receding ridges as they disappear into the distance. As we came over one of the high points and around the corner the road began to drop and this view appeared in front of us, with two sea stacks in the foreground (one of which contains a natural arch) and the rugged coastline curving toward the south.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Subalpine Forest, Morning Light

February 3, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning light on the trees of a subalpine forest in the high country of Kings Canyon National Park

During September 2013 four photographers spent nine days in a remote backcountry area of Kings Canyon National Park, camped at 11,000′ in a beautiful lake-filled basin and spending our days exploring and photographing the surrounding area. Being there for such a long time, we had opportunities to photograph in diverse light and weather conditions, and to return to subjects more than once.

Nearby there was a large subalpine bowl with a dozen or more lakes ranging from quite large to mere tarns. We made the 15 minute walk to this spectacular location many times. We photographed in evening rain, in overcast, in brilliant afternoon light, and in the early morning. I made this photograph on one of those mornings. I had begun very early, when the sun had not yet risen. At first I photographed in the blue-tinted early light, and then I began to chase the light/shade boundary as it crossed the lakes and surrounding terrain. Eventually the sun rose high enough that nearly everything was in the sun, with the exception of a few glades right up against steep slopes. I decided to head back to camp by skirting the shady side of the bowl, and I photographed this beautiful stand of trees backed by rising hills and more distant forest as I began this walk.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Red Storefront With Mural

February 2, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Red doors and window frames and brightly painted mural on a New York shop

Given the date, I suppose that this is a sort of Christmas photograph! We had arrived in New York the evening before, and while we had Christmas plans in Brooklyn, those were scheduled for much later in the day, so we ended up out and about in Lower Manhattan on a cold Christmas morning. Initially we headed south toward the financial district and the World Trade Center site – where it seemed that pretty much the only people around were our fellow tourists.

We finished up there and decided to head back to the hotel for a bit before going to Brooklyn. Starting this day and continuing throughout our weeklong stay, this small food stand became something of an icon, as we walked past it on the way to and from our Canal Street hotel daily. Oddly, when the place was closed it was at its most visually interesting, with a roll up door that had been painted brightly with the images of cars as you see here. The whole thing was behind an exterior set of glass windows/doors, the frame of which was painted the most gaudy shade of red imaginable.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Garbage Man Gate

February 1, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sheet metal fence, roll-up door, trash, and hand-written message to the garbage man, Brooklyn

“Please close and lock this gage. Garbage man”

I know this will baffle a few readers… but there you go. I’m tempted to offer little explanation and let you make of it what you will. This small vignette comes from a semi-industrial area beneath a bridge in a section of Brooklyn, New York. Is that cryptic enough? ;-)

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Sea Stacks, Big Sur Coastline

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Subalpine Forest, Morning Light

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Red Storefront With Mural

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Garbage Man Gate

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

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