Tag Archives: abstract

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

Surf #1

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Surf #1
Abstract patterns of winter surf, Big Sur coast, California.

Surf . © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Abstract patterns of winter surf, Big Sur coast, California.

This photograph comes from a recent visit to the Monterey Peninsula and upper Big Sur Coast during a brief break in the recent string of atmospheric river storms in California. On one hand, it was quite something to see the aftermath of several weeks of heavy rains: landslides, fallen trees, closed parks, closed highway lanes, flooding, and more. But between two storms the light was a bit challenging — which had the virtue of persuading me to try a few things different than what I typically do.

This is one of the photographs in that category. I had been photographing along a section of the coast with high cliffs above the ocean (which, as Big Sur aficionados know, could be almost anywhere…) and dealing with lighting challenges and atmosphere thick with moisture. I looked down and was taken by the power of the waves. The area in the photograph was just at the break, so this power was expressed as constant motion as storm swells rolled in and some foam from nearby breaking waves streaked the water.

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: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Too Many Layers

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Too Many Layers
Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

Too Many Layers. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

The urban landscape can be quite complex and even deceptive. I think that we imagine it to be the most rational of landscapes, where everything is objectively “real” and describable. But when you begin to look more closely, if frequently isn’t quite what it seems to be. The surfaces of things are often elusive, and you may find yourself looking more at the reflections of other things than at the object you think you are viewing.

It is somewhat difficult to make sense of this image at all once you start looking closely. There are, obviously, things from the street — parts of automobiles, a bit of a crosswalk. But nothing in this scene is viewed directly — everything is a reflect, or a reflection of a reflection, or a reflection viewed through another reflection.

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

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Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Four Frames

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Four Frames
Reflections, San Francisco

Four Frames. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Reflections, San Francisco

For me, one result of carrying a camera around is that I often realize that things we barely notice often turn out to be unbelievably strange. Urban buildings can take on an entirely different look if you start to pay attention to the reflections in their windows — the abstract patterns of shapes and colors, the hallucinogenic distortions, and the bizarre juxtapositions. This is yet another example of seeing things for “what else they are.”

I think that writing too much about the background of this photo risks ruining its effect — so I won’t. I will say that it contains quite a few of the “juxtapositions” I mentioned above. Refusing to give in to temptation, that’s all I’m going to say!

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

Moving Water

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Moving Water
A small wave crosses kelp and sand in shallow water at the Pacific Ocean shoreline.

Moving Water. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A small wave crosses kelp and sand in shallow water at the Pacific Ocean shoreline.

This is the second of a pair of somewhat abstract water photographs I made on a quick visit to the California coast last week. I just had a few hours, so I went up the coast from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay, then over the coast range and returned to Silicon Valley. It was an “extremely typical” day in this part of the world, by which I mean that the conditions were “typical” (cool and foggy) for this time of the year, but even more so to the point that I encountered coastal drizzle heavy enough to feel like rain.

I paused at one overlook high above the Pacific, hoping to photograph pelicans that often coast past on updrafts from the incoming ocean winds. I just missed oen flock as I arrived, but I quickly attached the long lens and… waited… for the next flock… which never showed up. Since I had that lens on the camera I decided to point down rather than up and photograph the shallow water at the edge of the ocean far below.

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