Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds

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Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds
Dramatic clouds above Death Valley mountains at the end of the day.

Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dramatic clouds above Death Valley mountains at the end of the day.

From time to time I like to revisit my black and white roots. I started photography quite a few years ago, and back then everything was black and white for me. (Color slide film was available, but I didn’t use that until some time later. ) I learned to develop and print in black and white, and I certainly learned to see that way. So black and white is still at the heart of my photography.

In this photograph I made a conscious effort to channel a particular (and perhaps familiar?) approach to monochromatic landscape, relying not just on capturing an image of a particular scene but also on producing an interpretation of that scene using the tools of the digital darkroom. The experience of photographing the scene was special and a bit surprising. After a day of decidedly so-so light I set up on an elevated vantage point in the early evening, not necessarily expecting great light but ready if it should arrive. And it did arrive during the final minutes of daylight just before the sun dropped below a desert mountain range behind my camera position.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Nature

Last Year’s Leaf

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Last Year's Leaf
A solitary autumn cottonwood leaf hangs on a branch against a spring-green background.

Last Year’s Leaf. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A solitary autumn cottonwood leaf hangs on a branch against a spring-green background.

The beginning and ending of photography days are often the busiest times. It isn’t that you cannot make photographs all day long, but the light is often most interesting at these moments and things tend to change more quickly. After an early morning start and hours of intense photography, it is almost inevitable that there will come a moment when everything slows down. On this morning I decided to stop what I had been doing (photographing birds) and wander down a short trail past some ponds.

I am often surprised by what I see when I step back from what I am photographing and slow my pace. I really didn’t think I would see anything photographically interesting on this little walk, but almost immediately I came upon bare cottonwood branches holding last year’s dry leaves, their withered and nearly monochromatic forms backed by newly sprouting green grasses and blue sky.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Cranes, Winter Sky

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Three Cranes, Winter Sky
Three sandhill cranes fly against blue winter sky.

Three Cranes, Winter Sky. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three sandhill cranes fly against blue winter sky.

During the first week of March it occurred to me that the end of the winter migratory bird season in California is approaching — and that it might come earlier than usual this year due to warmth and drought. So I headed out to look for birds, even though my preferred foggy conditions were not in the forecast. Since the daylight hours are rapidly increasing, it was a longer day that it would have been a few weeks ago — the sun now is up an hour earlier!

It seems to me that the behavior of the birds changes at this point in the season. Larger groups seem more likely to congregate, and they seem more active throughout out the day. That was the case this time, and I saw all kinds of geese, plenty of sandhill cranes, and lots of other birds including ibises, egrets, herons, redwing blackbirds. At one point I paused near large groups of cranes and waited (mostly) patiently for groups of them to periodically lift off and fly past my position.

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 and Amazon.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

Ivy Leaves

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Ivy Leaves
Leaves of ivy plants growing on a brick wall.

Ivy Leaves. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Leaves of ivy plants growing on a brick wall.

The other photographer in our household, Patricia Emerson Mitchell, often focuses on small things, especially close-up and macro photographs of foliage and flowers. Most of the time we work separately, though sometimes we have an excuse to photograph together. At times her subjects and mine are found in the same places, and other times each of us may explore the other’s native territory. That is how this photograph came about.

Patty frequently visits a beautiful formal garden at a location on the San Francisco Peninsula. She goes often enough that she has a membership, and she knows the cycles so well that she can predict what will be in bloom. She went this past week for daffodils and camellias (and a few other things), and I went along. too. I believe that photographing a bit outside my comfort zone makes me a better photographer, so I was game to photograph flowers… with a macro lens. I was distracted by a brick wall where ivy grows. I have photographed it before, but the soft, shaded light seemed especially nice this time, and I love to work with the subtle tonalities of this subject in monochrome.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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