Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

White Globe Lily

May 6, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Chinese Lantern — White globe lily blossom in the Almaden Hills

White globe lily blossom in the Almaden Hills

The white globe lily just might be my favorite wildflower from my local hills. I have hiked these areas for decades, but it was only perhaps 20 years ago when I first became aware of this flower, back when I started to hike one favorite area throughout the entire year, no longer limiting myself to the “nice weather” seasons. While walking down a little ravine that I had been in many times before, on a damp spring morning I noticed these flowers growing along the trail in grassy areas, and I’ve looked for them ever since.

This is a single specimen, but there are often several of them growing together. Because I often choose to photograph them early in the day when the light is not too harsh — they don’t hold up well visually in bright light — there is often a bit of dew on the blossoms, and the background is in shadow. This time I think I managed to visit close to the end of the bloom, and some specimens had already formed seed pods.

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

Photographs: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

London Rain

May 5, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A man with an umbrella walks down a rainy London street

Our travel too London was a bit “complicated” this time. We started in New York City, where we had been for nearly a week, and then left for Washington DC, from which our international flight was to depart. (Don’t ask…) Our connecting flight from NYC to Washington was delayed by thunderstorms along the eastern seaboard, and by the time we arrived in DC late that night, our overnight London flight had already departed. We ended up in a (rather nice) nearby hotel, so that we could return to the airport very early for an alternative flight. This flight was on time and we arrived at Heathrow just after sunset and made our way to our hotel in downtown London. We emerged from a tube station… in the dark… in the rain… with cell phones the didn’t work… and not quite sure where our hotel was. Finally we found it, grabbed something to eat and, exhausted, simply went to sleep.

The next morning we started to actually feel like we were in London again, and we went out for a random walk in light rain, ending up on this very narrow street heading toward the Thames. The photography gods must have wanted to reward me for the difficult previous day, and they sent this man in a dark suit and carrying an umbrella down the glistening cobblestone street ahead of us.

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

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

Evening Shadows, Death Valley

May 4, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The evening view down Trail Canyon, across Death Valley, and to the Black Mountains

The first day of any trip to Death Valley is often a long one for me. Typically it begins with a very early departure from the San Francisco Bay Area for the long drive down the Central Valley, east over Tehachapi Pass and then back to the north to reach the park. This year’s journey to the park was even longer since I took a first-day detour and briefly joined friends on the Carrizo Plain for an evening and a morning of wildflower photography. But the time I was on the road the second day it was mid-morning, and I arrived in Death Valley in the mid-afternoon to find winds and dust kicking up in the Valley. Not looking forward to camping in those conditions, I reconsidered and headed up to Wild Rose Canyon, where the mountains can provide some shelter.

I got there and found plenty of campsites. I grabbed one and just sat around for a while, recuperating from too much time behind the wheel. However, I knew that I wanted to do some photography on this first evening, so I worked up the energy to rise from my camp chair and head out to a favorite spot along the ridge of the Panamint Range. Often my Death Valley visits combine return visits to places I know well and want to continue to explore photographically with visits to places I haven’t been before. This spot is a very familiar one by now, and it seemed like and almost sure bet for this first evening. It was hazy — remember the wind and dust I just mentioned? — but as the color of the light warmed near the end of the day the landscape’s features became a bit more visible. This photograph looks across Trail Canyon in the foreground, with the late-day shadows already concealing the features of the ridge, toward the main portion of Death Valley, with its large salt flats. Beyond lie the Black Mountains and the southern boundary of the park, with further mountains just barely visible through the distant haze.

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

Buttes, Evening Light

May 3, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening light into Blackwater Wash illuminates buttes above Death Valley

These buttes or hills have fascinated me for a long time. They project out of the gigantic gravel fields of the alluvial fan at the base of the Panamint Mountains known as Blackwater Wash. They are visible from the floor of Death Valley, across its wide expanse to the west, often partially obscured by haze late in the day. From a few high points in the Panamint range they are also visible from above, often poking up above ridges or framed by v-shaped canyons.

I made this photograph from one of those higher positions, a location along the summit ridge of the Panamint Mountains that provides views in all directions, including down into Death Valley itself. This time I was there near the end of the day, as haze filled the valley and the last sunlight of the day came over the summit of the mountain range, casting beams of light down into the canyon and lighting these hills.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

White Globe Lily

London Rain

Evening Shadows, Death Valley

Buttes, Evening Light

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