Tag Archives: america

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

Mountains and Fan, Morning

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Mountains and Fan, Morning
Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

Mountains and Fan, Morning. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

The scale of the landscape in Death Valley is difficult to comprehend. Vistas often encompass huge distances — it isn’t uncommon to be looking at mountains that are tens of miles away, sometimes many tens of miles. Entering this landscape on foot often reveals this truth: An alluvial fan that looks relatively manageable from a distance might take a hour or several to cross.

I made this photograph just after dawn. It looks across Death Valley toward the base of the Panamint Range, rugged and tall mountains topped by Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park. I used a long lens, which drastically compresses the distance. If you were to set out to walk to that wash on the distant alluvial fan at the base of the mountains it would take you at least a day to get there.

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: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Cranes, Fog

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Two Cranes, Fog
Two sandhill cranes on a foggy winter morning in a Central Valley field.

Two Cranes, Fog. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two sandhill cranes on a foggy winter morning in a Central Valley field.

Sandhill cranes have become my favorite migratory birds in California’s Central Valley and other locations in the state. Each year they arrive in the early fall and then depart around the time spring arrives. They are very large birds, and while their numbers don’t compete with those of some of the biggest geese flocks, they sometimes assemble in large groups.

I photographed this pair close to the end of the season, on a morning when surprising fog swept in after sunrise, muting the details of the landscape and softening the light. They were in a field where corn had been knocked down to provide them with food.

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.

Photographs: Nature

Pink Tulip

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A pink spring tulip with early morning water droplets.

Pink Tulip. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A pink spring tulip with early morning water droplets.

With this photograph I will (probably? maybe?) close out the photographs from our early March visit to a San Francisco Bay Area garden. We thought we were there for the peak of the tulip bloom, but only a few of the flowers were in bloom yet. This year’s wild California weather seems to have thrown off nature’s schedule a bit. But even one blooming flower can be enough, and this one seems quite nice.

You might be looking at the photograph and thinking, “the flower is lovely, but did you have to spray the water on it?” I can assure you that those drops were actually there with no assistance from me. Between the exceptional recent rainfall and the early morning hour, there was still lot of water on the plants.

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.

Photographs: Still Life, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Concrete Wall Detail

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Concrete Wall Detail
Shadows from nearby branches fall across a crached and weathered concrete wall.

Concrete Wall Detail. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Shadows from nearby branches fall across a crached and weathered concrete wall.

The garden where we recently photographed — where I made my recent flower photographs — is on the grounds of a historic San Francisco Peninsula estate that was once the home of some very wealthy people. Today the facility is open to the public and features tours of the mansion and the extensive gardens. This detail photograph was made in a patio area at the mansion.

Like many photographers I am fascinated by patterns, forms, and textures. I’m sure that this section of concrete wall was once, long ago, a new and perfect thing. But it has weathered in the intervening years. There are patched cracks, a few missing edges here and there, and it appears that lichen is starting to grow in places. The darker slanted lines are shadows of branches above the wall.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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