Tag Archives: atmosphere

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin

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Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin
“Ponderosa Pines, Mono Basin” — A group of ponderosa pines on slopes leading toward Mono Lake in distant haze.

Mono Lake is a remarkable place. Lying in a relatively high, desert basin, it covers a huge area. It is so big that it is just about impossible to get a solid impression of its vast size. While you can drive past its west side and access a few spots along the north and south shores, much of it is essentially inaccessible, at least without a lot of very difficult travel. Because its level has fluctuated over time, much of the surrounding area has been submerged in the past, and the evidence of this is everywhere.

The lake itself is set in an even larger basin surrounded by mountains — the Sierra to the west and various desert ranges to the north, east, and south. I made this photograph near the base of one of those, the Mono Craters. Here an extensive ponderosa pine forest spills down from the heights and spreads across the shallower slopes of the basin, eventually fading out within sight of the lake. These trees are some of the furthest vanguards of that forest. Beyond you see the final descent the lake, the lake itself, and in the far distance the faint outlines of distant desert mountains.

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

Blue Mountains

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Blue Mountains

“Blue Mountains” — Desert mountain ridges, obscured by morning haze, extend into the distance.

If you have been following my 2023 photographs from Death Valley — I visited in March — you may recognize the contours of these distant mountains from a couple of monochrome images I shared earlier. I was at a high elevation location along the east side of the valley to photograph the playa at sunrise, but from time to time I turned my attention the other direction to look at these ridges extended into the distant haze.

One pleasure of viewing the world from such a location, high above the surrounding landscape, is that we sometimes see so far that eventually the features simply disappear into the distant haze. Here the haze was so thick — and back lit — that details were lost, leaving only the counters of the main features of the landscape.

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

Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze

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Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze
“Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze” — Blue morning haze softens the contours of desert mountains beyond Lake Manly, Death Valley.

Haze is a factor to be reckoned with when photographing in a vast landscape like Death Valley National Park. It is there even on “clear” days, and over long distances its effects can be substantial. Details are muted (especially in shadows), the colors shift toward blue, and atmospheric instability can make subjects literally shimmer. (That makes it virtually impossible to get sharp focus in some situations.) It used to leave me nonplused, but eventually I thought about how to use these characteristics — after all, they are part of the scene.

When I made this photograph it wasn’t just a matter of distance — the atmosphere actually was hazier than usual. In this interpretation of the subject I decided to embrace that haze and its softening effect on the distant mountains. This contrasts with the rather more stark contrasts between the foreground waters of Lake Manley and bits of darker land. But overall, the image retains that blue coloration that I mentioned above.

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: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sky, Photographs: Wildlife

Winter Geese, Morning Fog

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Winter Geese, Morning Fog
“Winter Geese, Morning Fog” — Winter geese fly above foggy wetlands in morning light.

This was not the photograph I planned to make when I stopped here. The area was blanketed with tule fog, and no birds were visible. So I got out my tripod and turned my attention to making landscape photographs. As I worked the fog began to thin, and the sky above became faintly visible though the shallow fog. I heard geese approaching, and as the first group passed I grabbed my camera off the tripod, quickly reset things for handheld photography, and framed this subject as the next large group passed overhead.

There is a lot of this “gear switching” when I photograph migratory birds. One moment I might be photographing an individual bird in flight — which requires some specific camera settings. A moment later my attention may turn to a tree or clouds or the sky, and that sort of landscape photography uses entirely different settings and sometimes different lenses… or even a different camera!

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