Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mountains and Lake, Autumn Haze

October 21, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Hazy autumn light at dawn on Mono Lake and desert mountains about autumn light in California.

I’ve written about the “golden” color, the muted quality, its softness, and otherwise tried to put my finger on what it is. I’ve known, for example, that something special happens to the light in the Sierra from late September onwards. But I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on the nature of the change. Is it the angle of the sun, changing weather, the colors of vegetation, or something else? It finally occurred to me — sometimes I’m slow! — after all these years that this is the wildfire season in the state and that this might be an important factor.

It surely is a factor in this early October photograph of morning light over Mono Lake. I’ve been poking around this area and making photographs for years, moving more and more towards images that are about the gigantic spaces and forms of this remarkable lake and its surroundings. On this morning I had gone to a different location, high above the lake, from which I had an overview of much of the lake and out to the east toward the rising sun as that autumn haze filled the air, muted details of the landscape, and filled the atmosphere with warm, golden light.

For decades I have recognized the obvious, that there is something different and special

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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Stone Walls, Midday Light

October 20, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

The Chianti region is, of course, full of vineyards and olive orchards and of wineries and producers of olive oil. There are vineyards everywhere — in the valleys, draped across the hillsides, and even on the tops of ridges. All of this is in a region full of historical structures, often centered around very old castles and churches and small villages.

One day we decide to visit this small place, a former village now (or so it seems) owned by the people who operate the surrounding vineyards. The little town, with its stone buildings and very narrow streets remains.

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

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Caffe, Tabaccheria, and Bicyclist

October 19, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A bicyclist passes in front of a caffe’ and a tabaccheria, Florence.

Most of my photographs, nature and urban, tend to be made at the “good light” times of day — morning and evening — when the light softens and the colors warm. But the midday light has a charm of its own, especially this summer light in Italy. It is a surprising combination of stark from the high angle of the sun and soft from the frequent hazy quality of the atmosphere.

With this in mind, we were out and about during the daytime hours in Florence on this late August day. Things often happen quickly when shooting street photographs, and subjects and juxtapositions occur so quickly that one must often simply raise the camera and photograph intuitively, with little or no time to ponder. This was one of those moments. Somehow the slightly off-kilter cyclist appeared right in front of the metal door of the shop in the background just as the pedestrian was about the exit the frame at the left.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Early Fall Aspen Color

October 18, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early fall color among small, high elevation trees east of the Sierra Nevada

Back in the middle of September, several weeks before I would usually begin photographing autumn aspen color in California’s Sierra Nevada, I visited the range for an end-of-summer trip and with the idea that I might do some pre-autumn reconnaissance in order to try get some idea of what the fall color season might bring at the beginning of October. It was my plan to camp in Tuolumne Meadows, hiking and camping and photographing there, but also ventured out a bit further, especially to the east side of the range.

As expected, it wasn’t really fall color season just yet, however I did encounter much more color than I would have expected — enough, in fact, to do more than just look around. Before the trip was done I made “fall” color photographs in several locations on the east side of the range, but I also ventured further east of the Sierra to some high desert areas and other mountains where I’ve been poking around looking for color in the past few years. I had a hunch about one high ridge where I had explored back roads earlier and from which I knew there could be long views, including those back toward the eastern escarpment of the Sierra. Somewhat to my surprise, I found a lot of aspen color out here. Although much of it was in what might be termed “scrub aspens,” the color was impressive and many of the groves stretched into the distance over high mountain ridges.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Mountains and Lake, Autumn Haze

Stone Walls, Midday Light

Caffe, Tabaccheria, and Bicyclist

Early Fall Aspen Color

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