Tag Archives: black and white

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Argus Range Clouds

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Argus Range Clouds
“Argus Range Clouds” — Low clouds hug the edge of the Argus Range to the west of Panamint Valley.

The typical assumption is that Death Valley and its surroundings are hot and dry. That is often the case — not much rain falls there in a typical year, and it can be unbearably hot. But the climate in and around the park is a lot more varied than many realize. I’ve been snowed on there several times, and not just in the mountains. I even recall seeing a few flakes one early April at Scotty’s Castle! This photograph — on a day with rain and snow in the mountains — comes from the last week of winter.

I made the photograph in Panamint Valley, on the west side of the Panamint Mountains, the tallest range in the park. Those mountains were at my back as I looked to the west. The high clouds marked the receding edge of a weather system that was producing rain and snow on the higher peaks. The fascinating band of “high fog” was forming over the edge of the snow-capped Argus Range in the wake of the front’s passage.

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: Architecture, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Church, Storm Sky

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Desert Church, Storm Sky
“Desert Church, Storm Sky” — Stormy skies above the St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Roman Catholic Church in Trona, California

The town of Trona, near Death Valley, can feel like a place that is dying. A large factory operates in the town, extracting minerals from the giant dry lake in Searles Valley. I have passed through for years, and the number of abandoned and boarded-up homes and businesses has increased. This intriguing church sits along the highway, wedged between the town and the dry lake.

The church has fascinated me since I first saw it many years ago. I have never seen people there or even a car parked in the gravel parking lot. It is one of the least aesthetic Catholic Churches I have ever seen, looking entirely functional and standing implacably in this rough landscape. On the day I photographed it the wind was blowing and storm clouds had gathered over the distant Panamint 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.

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.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Market, Arezzo

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Market, Arezzo
“Market, Arezzo” — Two customers in a small market in Arezzo, Italy.

As I have mentioned in posts accompanying previous photographs from this town, Arezzo is one of the “off the beaten tracks” Italian towns we visited during summer 2023. I don’t mean to say that it is an uninteresting or unimportant place — just that it isn’t a typical tourist destination. That was clear during our visit, when we often felt like we might be the only tourists in a restaurant or other venue.

The photograph features a look through the doorway of a small store where locals shop. The cases feature a remarkable assortments of cheeses, beans, pastas, wine, and more. On our walks through this town we were more likely to encounter such places or other local businesses and less likely to see the usual tourist shops.

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

Flock of Cranes in Flight

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Flock of Cranes in Flight
“Flock of Cranes in Flight” — A flock of lesser sandhill cranes in low level flight, Central Valley, California.

This group of sandhill cranes was a minor part of a wild mass of birds, including thousands of geese and lots of cranes. At this point in the season (mid-February) the migratory birds can be quite active during the day, with lots of coming and going. This group of birds was about to land and join a larger flock already on the ground.

I decided to use this high key approach to the photograph in order to slightly abstract the birds’ forms and to separate them from any distracting background. The photograph catches them in a particularly interesting moment: As cranes land they transition though a series of positions. First they glide in smoothly, then begin to turn into the breeze. Then the legs extend, wings rise, and necks crane forward just before they touch down.

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.