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

Tall Trees and Monolith, Morning Light

Image July 1, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

El Capitan beyond tall trees in morning lilght, Yosemite Valley.

This in alternate version of a photograph of this scene that I shared earlier. It was the first subject I photographed on a very long day when I arose before 3:00AM, drove from the San Francisco Bay Area to Yosemite, photographed all day, and drove back at night, arriving home after midnight. After nearly four hours of driving I entered the Valley and stopped here, where the view opens up for the first time. At this early hour it was still quiet and the morning light was slanting through the thin haze between me and El Capitan.

You might wonder, “Why two versions of the same subject?” A complete answer would take more than a paragraph, but here are a few quick thoughts. Sometimes someone needs the photograph in a particular format, so in cases where the subject can work two ways I make portrait and landscaper orientation versions. Sometimes I just want to see how to make the subject “work” both ways… and then I may end up liking both options!

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature

Conifer Bark and Moss

Image June 30, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Most grows on the thick bark of a Yosemite Valley conifer.

Sometimes the texture of tree back can almost take on the appearance of a landscape, especially when it is the thick and textured bark on large, old trees. This example, from alongside a trail in Yosemite Valley, almost looks to me like a set of parallel valleys, with forest or meadows represented by the green most growing in the darker cracks. I’m also fascinated by the texture of the lighter sections, which seem to be build up in layers.

I suppose, to some extent, that this photograph may be yet another in the “record shot” category, at least if you don’t find the textures and shapes of the bark fascinating.

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Photographs: Macro, Photographs: Nature

Foxglove Buds

Image June 29, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Foxglove buds about to bloom.

We visited this garden in late May to photograph spring flowers. Lots of things were in bloom, particularly roses and foxglove. The foxglove blooms intrigued me, and I began by trying to photograph individual blooms and the dense collections of flowers. Eventually I noticed that a few of the plants had not entirely blossomed yet, and I became intrigued by the groups of buds at the tops of the plants.

There’s an interesting and useful photographic fact demonstrated by this photograph. One way to highlight a subject is to place it in sharp focus against an out-of-focus, diffused background. The usual advice — which has some validity — is to use an extremely large aperture to make the background soft. But if you are close enough to the subject and the background is far enough away, you can also get a nice background blur with smaller apertures, too… as I did here. (Note, too, that color and luminosity differences between subject and background can also help it stand out.)

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News, Site News

Blog News

Image June 28, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

This morning I am sharing a bit a news about this blog — a sort of “heads up,” if you will. During recent weeks we’ve been busily preparing for this summer’s main travel event. We’ve lined up house-sitters who will live here and take care of the place while we’re away, finalized plans and itineraries and reservations, started packing, and more.

At times I won’t be able to update the blog every day. On other occasions you may see a new photograph but not the usual descriptive text. Long-time followers probably know that I’ve shared a daily photograph here since the early 2000s without a break. (I think I’m coming up on twenty years soon!) I don’t want to break that streak!

In order to keep things running — and the content flowing — I’ve been working to pre-load a lot of material. If things go as planned you should continue to see new daily content.

What will that content be? Some of it will be photographs that I made earlier — the work is new here, but less recent. Some comes from as recently as June, but some may be from earlier this year.

Because our travels will take me away from the usual Sierra Nevada and California sites, you won’t be seeing as much of “the usual” here. (Watch for new Sierra work in late summer and fall.) However, I’m hoping to share at least some new work from our travels, perhaps along with some stories about it. I can’t predict what that it be just yet, but keep watching! You may enjoy some surprises!

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G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tall Trees and Monolith, Morning Light

Conifer Bark and Moss

Foxglove Buds

Blog News

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