Tag Archives: base

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Two Trees, Morning Light, Pywiack Dome

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Two Trees, Morning Light, Pywiack Dome
Two Trees, Morning Light, Pywiack Dome

Two Trees, Morning Light, Pywiack Dome. Yosemite National Park, California. June 19, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning sun illuminates two gnarled trees at the base of Pywiack Dome, Yosemite National Park

I should begin by acknowledging that I sort of think of these as being “Charlie’s Trees,” since I first saw them in a marvelous photograph by Charles Cramer during a visit to the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley. The photograph was tucked away in an inconspicuous place up high above a doorway, but it caught my eye immediately. I knew right away from the composition and the quality of the light that it was Charlie’s work.

On the morning of the day after Tioga Pass opened this year, I had gone early in the morning to a spot just below this location,  planning to photograph the high water of Tenaya Creek near where the creek from Cathedral Lakes joins and where the combined flow was flooding the meadow below Pywiack Dome. Finishing with that subject, I decided to head back up toward Tuolumne. Almost immediately as I passed by the base of Pywiack Dome, I could see that the morning sun was beginning to come around the shoulder of the dome and strike these trees and that the background of thicker forest and snow was softened a bit by haze and backlight. Very conscious of not wanting to recreate another photographer’s composition, I decided to use a long lens and let these two old and weathered trees fill the left half of the frame.

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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Reviews

Induro 5-Way Panhead Video – Count Me As Impressed

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I pretty much always shoot from the tripod so I’m attentive to tripod and ball head quality. I use the excellent Acratech Ultimate ball head at this point – it is a fine piece of equipment and has proven reliable through several years of substantial use including a lot of backpacking. (One reason I got it was the light weight for such a solid head.)

Today I say a video demonstration of a new ball head from Induro. While its larger size and bulk might make it less than ideal for my backpacking photography, this unit looks quite powerful and I’ll have to take closer look for use in other types of landscape and similar work. It looks like it would be especially useful for stitched panoramas, especially in that it allows for shots in which the horizon is not in the center of the frame.

If you haven’t heard of Induro, they are worth considering. I’ve been using their large C313 carbon-fiber tripod for several years now, and it has been solid and reliable through a lot of shooting in conditions ranging from the Sierra to Death Valley to the Pacific coastline.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pipes at Base of Ship Yard Tower, Night

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Pipes at Base of Ship Yard Tower, Night

Pipes at Base of Ship Yard Tower, Night. Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California. August 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Night photography of a convoluted assemblage of pipes at the base of a ship yard construction tower at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California.

This is a closer view of some of the old and somewhat mysterious industrial equipment and structures at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California – again shot at night during my visit to this historic location on August 30. This mass of pipes and valves and wires and what not is at the base of one of the tall structures that cross the roadways around the center of the shipyard along Nimitz Avenue.

When I made this exposure I was not sure whether it would end up as black and white or color, but when I saw the intensely yellow color of the light on the painted surfaces of the metal it was, well, too much – so I have gone with the black and white rendition.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, minsy, vallejo, california, night, nocturnal, photography, historic, night, nocturnal, photography, black and white, monochrome, pipe, valve, wire, hose, bolt, nut, steel, tower, support, cement, concrete, block, metal, corrugated, building, wall, roof, vent, truss, base, tower, mechanical, industrial, historic, old, usa, shadwo, door, stock

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Redwood Shoot

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Redwood Shoot

Redwood Shoot. Muir Woods National Monument, California. August 19, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A new redwood tree shoot emerges from the base of a mature tree, Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This small, green shoot is the potential start of a new redwood tree at Muir Woods National Monument. Its bright green color contrasts with the browns and reds of the dark forest floor and the shaded bark of the tree.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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