Tag Archives: black and white

Cypress Tree and Steps

September 10, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of rock steps leading to a lone cypress tree. Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

I’ve visited this spot many times in the past. It is along a short trail at Point Lobos that leads through the Monterey cypress forest and right along the tops of the coastal cliffs. I’ve always been intrigued by this little section of trail with this carefully constructed stone stairway leading to a small lone cypress right on the edge of the cliff. It was foggy on the day when I made this photo – I set up the camera and tripod and waited for some light to begin to filter through the thinning fog.

keywords: black and white, monochrome, cypress, tree, branch, trunk, steps, stairs, trail, path, rock, boulder, plants, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, ocean, park, carmel, monterey, peninsula, travel, scenic, landscape, detail. stock, nature

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest

September 8, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of forest floor and cypress tree trunks. Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

This was a tough photograph, and one that I’ll probably return to work on again. It was a foggy morning at Point Lobos and I had arrived in time for the hoped-for clearing that I expected to occur within the hour. I found this composition and set up and waited for the light. I got just a bit of filtered light through the fog but then the transition from fog to sun stopped. While I never got quite the light I was looking for, I am pleased with how this turned out.

It was a bit amusing to see the reactions of other hikers as they walked past. Some perhaps assumed that there must be a “great photograph” there since my tripod supported what probably looked like substantial equipment and I was standing there holding a remote release. Some would walk past and take a sneaky glance along the cameras line of sight – and I could tell they were perplexed. During the wait for decent light, however, I did get to indulge in one of my favorite little hobbies – offering to take group pictures of other visitors with their cameras so that no one would be left out. :-)

keywords: black and white, forest, floor, cypress, tree, trunk, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, carmel, bay, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, grass, rock, stock

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Rhyolite School Windows, Amargosa Range

September 4, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Color photograph of the Amargosa Range as seen through the windows of the abandoned school in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada.

This is a reworking of a photograph I made in April of 2008 while visiting Death Valley National Park, California. The building is the ruins of an old – and once quiet impressive – school building in this abandoned mining town. The view through the windows looks out on the Amargosa Range, which runs along the eastern boundary of Death Valley NP. While visiting and photographing this scene, and now while considering the photograph, I wonder about the lives of the children attending school in this stark but beautiful place in the desert.

keywords: rhyolite, school, abandoned, ghost, town, windows, wall, amargosa, range, mountains, desert, nevada, usa, death valley, national park, black and white, ruins, historic, scenic, travel, landscape, stock

Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Two Snags – Big Arroyo

September 2, 2008 G Dan Mitchell 5 Comments

Black and white photograph of two trailside snags above Big Arroyo with Great Western Divide in the distance, Sequoia National Park, California.

This photograph was made on Sequoia National Park’s High Sierra Trail as it climbs out of Big Arroyo and onto the Chagoopa Plateau before eventually dropping down into the depths of the Kern Canyon.

I was in full “head down and climbing the trail” mode when I almost walked right past these trailside snags, but my friend Ernie fortunately pointed them out to me. Ernie’s not really a photographer – though he takes far more great photos of fellow backpackers than I – but he notices a lot on the trail. He was the champion at running into wildlife on the August 2008 High Sierra Trail trip, typically managing to discover a couple rattlesnakes each day and on another day discovering a small mammal that the rest of us had never seen in the Sierra.

keywords: high, sierra, trail, nevada, california, usa, landscape, travel, hike, backpack, big arroyo, california, usa, tree, snag, great western divide, sequoia, national park, cloud, sky, ridge, mountain, alpine, landscape, branch, stock, black and white

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: black and white

Cypress Tree and Steps

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest

Rhyolite School Windows, Amargosa Range

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.