Tag Archives: blossom

Photographs: Nature

Coreopsis Flowers

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Coreopsis Flowers
A garden of coreopsis flowers in the evening shade.

Coreopsis Flowers. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A garden of coreopsis flowers in the evening shade.

This is the next in a series of photographs from our early-June evening at a favorite San Francisco Peninsula garden. After enjoying the more typical festivities (eating, drinking, sitting, and enjoying the view) we wandered off into the gardens to make few photographs as the evening began to produce softer light

We arrived at this section of the garden, a place that is typically in (photographically challenging) full sun, as the last beams of sunlight began to dissipate. The shaded light opened up the shadows and reveals details of the flowers that might be overwhelmed by midday light.

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: Macro, Photographs: Nature

Translucent Bloom

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Translucent Bloom
Light glows through the petals of a spring blossom.

Translucent Bloom. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Light glows through the petals of a spring blossom.

The scale of my photograph subjects usually ranges between the whole landscape and something a bit smaller than that. But Patty, the other photographer in the household, has made a specialty of photographing vey small things, often flowers, and often so close that we see details rather than the whole thing. This was bound to rub off on me, and I realized that I have a series of such photographs on my desktop ready to post.

I made this photograph on one of our periodic forays to a large garden on the San Francisco Peninsula. At first I wasn’t thrilled with the light — we were expecting some lingering fog and soft light, but instead the sun was out. But I found that if I got in really close to some of these flowers that were in just the right light… it was possible to find that “less than all of it” perspective on them.

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

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Globe Lilies

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Globe Lilies
A cluster of spring globe lilies in the San Francisco Bay Area hills.

Globe Lilies. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A cluster of spring globe lilies in the San Francisco Bay Area hills.

Every spring I make a point of visiting these flowers in a little valley in the hills not far from where I live. I thought I might miss them this year, but the heavy winter rainfall delayed the bloom and made it more extensive than usual. The first time I visited I thought the flowers were good. When I went back a few weeks later I expected them to be gone — but instead there were even more of them, more than I remember ever seeing here before.

They can be a little tricky to photograph. Because the plant isn’t too tall and because the flowers hang down at the end of spindly branches, it can be tricky to get a good camera angle on them. They also tend to grow in sheltered places that are at least partially shaded, so the light can be low. On the other hand, when there are as many as I saw this year, if I just stick with it I’m bound to find a few photogenic flowers!

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

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

Photographs: Nature

Sunflower

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Sunflower
A wild sunflower in the California hills.

Sunflower. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A wild sunflower in the California hills.

These impressively large flowers pop up in the spring at a local park where I’ve hiked for decades. It doesn’t seem much like the traditional sunflower, but that’s what my searching tells me it is. The plants grow close to the ground, and the flowers are large — perhaps four inches across or more. In my experience there is only a short window to photograph them while they look good.

I think everyone should have a few local outdoor places that they travel too, going back to them over years and even decades. It is exciting to visit far off places, and I’ve been to my share of them. But there is something special about a nearby place that you know like an old friend. At this spot I know exactly where and when to look for very specific types of flowers… and I go back every year to revisit them.

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 | Twitter | 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. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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