Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Stained Granite Slabs, Small Tree

December 4, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A solitary tree grows among broken slabs of stained granite, Yosemite National Park

I suppose that this photograph also is at least partly of the “brave little tree” school, since there is indeed a little tree standing in an improbable looking place at the far side of this jumble of exfoliated and broken granite slabs. I wouldn’t say, though, that the tree is the primary subject — I think that it is more of a “surprise” that you might see only after first registering the shapes, textures, and colors of the rocks that fill the frame. It also may help establish a sense of scale for the broken slabs, though there are aspects of this image that work to defeat that possibility, too.

I remember the general place where I made this photograph, and I might be able to narrow down the location a bit if I went back to my files to see what I shot before and after. But the specific spot probably doesn’t matter that much. It is in the Yosemite backcountry, in a large area of granite slabs and bowl-like terrain where many of the rocks are stained an unusual and unusually intense reddish-brown color. It had rained overnight and was still raining off and on, so I worked with the soft light that comes with the passing clouds, making photographs in between the passing showers.

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Photographs: Nature

Tropical Leaves

December 3, 2014 G Dan Mitchell 6 Comments

Lines and curves on tropical plant leaves at a Southern California botanical garden

We were recently in Southern California for a holiday visit to “our kids,” and once the food-focused festivities had ended (though they never completely end!) we moved on to other family adventures in the Southland. On the day after Thanksgiving we headed up to Pasadena to visit the Huntington Library and its museums and gardens. I had not visited this place before, though I was well aware of the Huntington wealth from reading about the California Railroad Barons, composed of Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker, and Stanford, names that Californians may be familiar with. (There is a group of four peaks in the “Recesses” area of the Sierra that are named after them.) Suffice it to say that Huntington was clearly a 1%-er among 1%-ers!

We visited several gardens while we were in Pasadena. I wasn’t there primarily for photography, though I usually travel with sufficient gear of the right sort (a small mirrorless system) that I can do real photography when the opportunity presents itself. While waiting for others I happened to see these beautiful big leaves and I made a few quick exposures, including this one. There are many things to like about these leaves as a subject: The sit on a boundary between realistic depiction and abstraction of form and line, their color is beautiful, they catch light in such interesting ways.

Commentary, Morning Musings

Misplaced Focus (Morning Musings 12/3/14)

December 3, 2014 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

From time to time I adapt things that I wrote elsewhere and re-share them on the blog. The following is something I contributed to a discussion about a question from a newish photographer who wondered how important it would be to upgrade his camera.

I’m all for better image quality — which contemporary cameras, software, and printing processes provide in spades. And there is no question that, all else being equal, a photograph captured on a larger film or sensor format can potentially resolve more detail, and may improve other image parameters including dynamic range and noise.

As they say, “So stipulated.”

But the question (which was about choosing a sensor format) deserves a more nuanced and contextual answer than that. Fortunately, the most accurate and useful answer involves quite a bit of that nuance. I think it really comes down to something like, “Will replacing my cropped sensor camera with a full frame camera make my photographs look better?”. The best answer begins with, “It depends.”

As to the question (which also came up in the original discussion) of what is important in a photograph, image sharpness is not unimportant in many cases. (Though there certainly are photographs whose “goodness” is perhaps at least partially because they are blurred — softness and blur are not always things to be avoided.)

I think the issue in photography discussions is frequently about the balance among issues that affect the quality and effectiveness of a photograph. Here, it is not uncommon for some folks to exhibit a misplaced focus on the technical stuff, accompanied by insufficient attention to other things that are more important to their success as photographers. Continue reading Misplaced Focus (Morning Musings 12/3/14) →

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Small Tree, Granite, Morning Sun

December 3, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A small pine finds a foothold in a small crack on an immense glacier-sculpted granite slab, Yosemite National Park

This photograph is connected to quite a few others that I have posted recently, and in multiple ways. One of the subjects that I focused on during our time photographing at this Yosemite backcountry location was the many small trees growing tenuously in small cracks and pockets in this large bowl of granite and among nearby granite slabs. It seems almost a rule that in the natural world something will manage to find a way to grow in almost any location where growth is remotely possible. These trees certainly seem to illustrate that idea, as they sometimes seem to have nothing more than a thin crack in otherwise solid granite in which to put down roots. This one grows part way up the incline of a sloping bowl that faces west, so the morning light doesn’t arrive until rather late. I photographed as the line of sunlight worked its way across the tree and toward the textured slabs beyond.

I have heard a photographer friend humorously refer to photographs like this as “brave little tree” shots. It certainly is a popular concept. While I often like to think that photographs may speak simply as images whose components of light and texture and shape and color evoke an emotional response, it doesn’t escape my notice that photographs also, partially through the expectation that photographs contain true images of things, may also resonate in other ways — and that a “brave little tree” may evoke connections to other “brave little” things and ideas, and that these associations may be personal and specific to each viewer.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Stained Granite Slabs, Small Tree

Tropical Leaves

Misplaced Focus (Morning Musings 12/3/14)

Small Tree, Granite, Morning Sun

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