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

Cliffs, Morning Mist

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Cliffs, Morning Mist
Morning mist along the steep headlands cliffs of the rugged Big Sur region.

Cliffs, Morning Mist. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning mist along the steep headlands cliffs of the rugged Big Sur region.

Earlier this week I made a quick trip down the coast to the Big Sur region, getting as far south as Sur Point. This is a short enough drive for me that I can leave home early, photograph all morning, and be home for a late lunch. The conditions can vary greatly at this time of year. Often it is sunny and clear, as it was on this visit, but it can also be foggy and cold. When a big Pacific front rolls through, watch out —huge waves roll in and landslides can close the coast highway. One thing I did not have was the all-too-common summer crowds —a late fall weekday morning is not crowded at all.

The photograph includes a familiar section of the Big Sur coast, and it is visible from another well-known icon. (I think I did all that I could do with that famous subject years ago… and now this nearby terrain interests me more.) Here the road rises to a high point, and tall cliffs drop abruptly to the ocean from the tall bluffs. A bit of fog and mist softened the morning light.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

Lake and Sky, New Hampshire

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Lake and Sky, New Hampshire
“Lake and Sky, New HampshireWater lilies, reflected sky, and autumn colors at a New Hampshire Lake.

You may have seen a different version of this scene rendered in black and white — I posted it not long after our return from photographing New England fall color this year. During the first days of our visit we photographed in the iconic Kancamagus Highway region between Concord and Lincoln — and it was, as predicted, quite spectacular… and quite crowded. But then we explored a bit more widely, and we stopped to photograph this lake on a long loop that took us much farther north in New Hampshire.

There’s one other semi-notably thing about this photograph — I made it on an iPhone 14. I’m not giving up my Big Boy Cameras any time soon, but on this trip I played around with using the iPhone to capture some subjects — quick panoramas, record shots, photographs after dark. In a few cases, in addition to setting up the big camera and tripod, I put the iPhone in raw-capture mode and made a few photographs just to see what it could do. The answer? Quite a bit!

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, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

The Storm Clears

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The Storm Clears
A Sierra Nevada summer storm clears at sunset.

The Storm Clears. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A Sierra Nevada summer storm clears at sunset.

Before I get too far into the background of this photograph, has anyone else noticed that the ways to title a photograph of (yet another) clearing storm are… limited? That aside, this was one of the most spectacular Sierra backcountry evenings I have experienced. After essentially two days of rain, some of it extremely heavy, the storm finally began to break up in the late afternoon, and we were able to venture out. I began by photographing post-storm fog drifting around the valley, but before long the thinning clouds to the east began to put on a wildly colorful show. As that finished I turned my attention back toward the ridge to our west. The fog and clouds there were breaking up, too, and the very last sunlight of the day back-lit clouds above the crest.

This was not an easy photograph, both to “capture” at that moment and to work with in post. As you may be able to imagine, technical challenges included a very wide dynamic range, great contrasts in coloration, the position of the drifting fog, and more. Among other compensations, now when I look at this photograph I am transported back to the sights and sensations of that wonderful evening.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England, Photographs: Panorama

White Mountains Panorama

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White Mountains Panorama
Peak autumn color along New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway.

White Mountains Panorama. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Peak autumn color along New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway.

This is not my typical photograph — and in more than one way. I have already written that this year marked our first photography of the famous New England fall color, but another difference is probably less apparent. This is an iPhone photograph! I’ve been carrying various iPhones for years, but I rarely use them photographically for anything more than quick snaps and record shots. But we recently upgraded to the iPhone 14, and on this trip I decided to see what I could do with the thing. Its ability to make quick — and quite decent — panoramas, even in some challenging lighting conditions, is remarkable.

Aside from that technical issue, this photograph also exemplifies some of what makes East Coast fall color experience so different from the Sierra Nevada color that I have photographed for years. Most obviously, entire forests are almost exclusively hardwood trees, their color stretches almost unbroken across miles of terrain, and the colors are so varied. I’m still processing the experience and thinking about the relative attractions of this kind of autumn photography compared to kinds that are more familiar from my years in the Sierra.

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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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