Tag Archives: abstract

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Weathered Wall

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Weathered Wall
“Weathered Wall” — Abstract patterns of paint, stucco, and weathering on a wall in Orvieto, Italy

There’s really no obvious way to tell from the image that it was made in Italy — though once you know that you may recognize that beautifully worn and weathered walls are part of the landscape there. I spotted this detail as we walked through the small hill town of Orvieto during the summer of 2023.

While I usually prefer to think of such weathering as “picturesque,” you could be forgiven for regarding it as run-down, too. To be honest, the exteriors of buildings in big cities are not always pristine, and this is especially so when we get away from fancy downtowns and into regular neighborhoods. After years of visiting such places it finally occurred to me that people in these places might surrender exterior beauty, but that they transfer their aesthetic impulse to interiors. In any case, I’m happy to find subjects like this.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Flooded Playa

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Flooded Playa
“Flooded Playa” — The flooded landscape of the playa near Manly Lake, Death Valley.

This is another in a series of photographs of the floor of Death Valley near Badwater, photographed from high in the Black Mountains early one morning. Following a historic storm in August of 2023, this part of the valley flooded, partially reconstituting the historic Lake Manly. There is still a lot of water, and many areas of the playa are currently inaccessible.

To make these photographs I used very long focal length lenses, which allowed me to isolate small areas in this vast terrain. The formations seen here are in a very flat area just upstream of Lake Manly. The area is mostly a salt flat in normal times. Here the blue water makes visible the many wandering channels through which the water flows.

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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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Edge of Lake Manly

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Edge of Lake Manly
“Edge of Lake Manly” — Photographed from high above, the waters of temporary Lake Manly meet the edge of Death Valley salt flats.

The star attraction of the season in Death Valley has been the reemergence of historic Lake Manly in the hottest, driest, and lowest area of the valley near Badwater. Geologists tell us that the original version of this lake once filled the valley floor, and there’s abundant evidence: old waterlines high on valley hillsides, the tufa formations, and the salt flats themselves. A huge and unusual tropical storm brought heavy rains to the area last year, and more recent precipitation has helped to keep it going.

Since seeing this lake is such a rare event, I made it the focus of my recent visit to the park. I photographed it several times, from different points of view, at different times of day, and in different conditions. I made this photograph very early in the morning from the overlook at Dantes View. As the shadows receded and sunlight arrived on the lake and surrounding terrain I made a series of photographs with long lenses, highlighting the abstract patterns and colors of the flooded playa.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Abstract

Serendipity

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Serendipity
A photograph of some colorful things.

Serendipity. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A photograph of some colorful things.

This is just about color… unless you want to make it about something else. Such a photograph could be intentional (to the extent that photographs are “intentional” — read the second paragraph), but the level of serendipity in this one is high, hence the title.

There’s an odd idea that photographs are objective records — but that’s clearly not true. Even in cases where some sort of evidentiary standard is followed, decisions about aspects of what gets recorded and how it gets recorded are subjective. And beyond that limited use for photographs, once we get into the realm of images that are intended to express something, photographs are often far from objective records. One of my favorite expressions: “All photographs lie.” (I could refine that a bit, but there’s not space in this post.)

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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