Tag Archives: bank

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Entering the Narrows

Image 3 Comments
Entering the Narrows
Light reflected in the water of the Virgin River as it emerges from a narrow section of the canyon.

Entering the Narrows. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Light reflected in the water of the Virgin River as it emerges from a narrow section of the canyon.

We visited this popular area of Zion Canyon twice on this particular day. The first was very early in the morning after we caught almost the first shuttle bus into the valley and arrived during blue hour light. We walked slowly up to just about to the actual beginning of the narrows and back again, taking lots of photographic detours along the way. This trail is a bit of an odd one on which to photograph. Early in the morning there is a nearly unbroken procession of people heading to the narrows. But step off the trail a bit and you can be almost entirely alone. As we walked, I made mental notes about spots that might be interesting to photograph much later in the day.

Indeed, we went back late in the day, knowing that the sun would now come from the opposite direction, light the upper canyon walls, and reflect warm-colored and soft light down into the bottom of the canyon. We were not disappointed. The effect of that reddish reflected light shining softly on sandstone walls is spectacular in a quiet sort of way, and there was a lot of photography to be done! This photograph looks up the canyon toward one of the sunlit walls, and the reflection colors the surface of the Virgin River as it passes between the trees.

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 | 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.

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Streamside Cottonwood Trees

Image Leave a comment
Streamsiode Cottonwood Trees
Streamside cottonwood trees along the Virgin River begin to change to autumn colors.

Streamside Cottonwood Trees. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Streamside cottonwood trees along the Virgin River begin to change to autumn colors.

This photograph comes from a very busy place in Zion National Park, along the trail to one of the more popular destinations in Zion Canyon. Fortunately, as is almost always the case in well-known national parks, you can usually step even a little ways off the main trails and put some distance between yourself and the hordes. That’s more or less what I did here — I just walked a little ways away from the main hiking thoroughfare to where the trees were overhanging the river a bit. (However, a warning: When there are so many people around, sometimes a critical mass of them may see you making photographs and decide to follow. Unfortunately, that happened here to some extent. On some occasions I’ve been known to go to some lengths to obscure my visits to such places!)

Once again, I was really mostly attracted by the reflected canyon light — that special light that reflects from sunlit red rock walls and then gently fills in shadows with softly-directional, warm light. (One challenge: if there is a breeze it can be hard to deal with the motion of the leaves in this low light.) I chose the portrait orientation for this photograph so that I could include a bit of the stream and the boulder along with a bit of the canyon wall above and beyond the trees.

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 | 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.

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

Photographs: England, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pedestrians Along the River Thames

Image Leave a comment
Pedestrians Along the River Thames
Pedestrians stroll along the banks of the River Thames on a cloudy London day.

Pedestrians Along the River Thames. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pedestrians stroll along the banks of the River Thames on a cloudy London day.

Today another photograph in the ongoing series that might be entitled “Dreams of Things We Used To Do and Hope To Do Again,” or “Photographs I Left Behind and Have Now Rediscovered.” The photograph comes from a 2013 overseas trip that took us first to London for roughly a week and then on to Germany and (a little bit) Austria. While part of the trip was spent in the bucolic setting of the Bavarian Alps, a good portion of it was in busy, crowded, lively urban settings. Remember those?

These trips of ours feature (among other things) some significant amounts of unplanned time when we can just wander and explore. While this approach means that we may not hit all of the Big Tourist Icons (or only discover them accidentally), it also gives us opportunities to immerse ourselves a bit more in unanticipated local experiences. I can hardly claim that this one — walking across the Millennium Bridge — fits that category precisely, though it was a lovely, cloudy scene along the river.

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 | 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.

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

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Travel

Bay Bridge, Morning Fog

Image Leave a comment
Bay Bridge, Morning Fog
The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, with morning fog bank above Treasure Island

Bay Bridge, Morning Fog. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, with morning fog bank above Treasure Island.

On the day I made this photograph I headed up to San Francisco to visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where a special Andy Warhol exhibit is soon coming to a close. I’m close enough to San Francisco that I can take the train up for these visits, and that also affords me the time to do some walking around in this city, which of course involves photography. Because I had a specific schedule for the MOMA exhibit, I took a familiar walking path along the Bay waterfront to the Ferry Building before turning inland to get to the Museum.

The early morning light along the bay is often special — the atmosphere often glows in the backlight. Somewhat to my surprise, given the recent warm temperatures, there was a fog bank out in the bay, laying across Treasure Island. I paused at this familiar spot to photograph the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge near where it comes ashore, and the very bright sky and fog created a dramatic silhouette.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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