Tag Archives: blue

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Tree, Fog, Dawn Sky

March 14, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Dawn light on a solitary tree in a foggy pasture under morning clouds, San Joaquin Valley, California

Spring seemed to arrive too soon (for me, anyway) this year in California. I like spring, but I think I like winter more, and I would be fine if spring took its time arriving. However, what started out as a wetter and colder winter than usual here, ended seeming like a very short and mostly mild season as our winter rains more or less stopped in January and February and the hoped-for “March Miracle” of late season rain never came. Instead, as I write this in mid-March, we are experiencing beautiful, sunny weather with temperatures more typical of April than of March.

Against this backdrop I decided to make at least one more trip to some of my favorite San Joaquin Valley migratory bird refuges to photograph geese, cranes, herons, ibises, white pelicans, egrets, and whatever else I could find. Arriving in the Valley very early, in the first dim light I could see that it was a clear morning. I prefer a bit of fog, but dawn light is good light in any case. But as I got closer to the refuge, I was surprised but pleased to see some fog forming over this very wet and marshy area, and before long there was some quite nice fog filling in as the sun began to light the high clouds above. The effects of early morning light in fog can be quite subtle, but a favorite sort of light is that which comes faintly through partially clearing mist, casting a bit of light on features like this tree and parting enough to reveal the sky overhead. Because this light and atmosphere were so appealing – and because it can be darned hard to photograph birds in fog! – I took a break from bird photography and spent a bit of time shooting elements in this foggy landscape.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Mesquite Dunes, Cottonwood Mountains

March 2, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The Mesquite Dunes and the Cottonwood Mountains late on a hazy afternoon, Death Valley National Park, California

The Mesquite Dunes are a well-known icon of Death Valley and are often photographed in the early morning or around sunset. I made this photograph at a somewhat different time – late in the afternoon but well before the golden hour light of evening. The sun was still high enough to illuminate the tops of the dunes and even the sides away from the sun, and the afternoon haze made the atmosphere blue and obscured the rugged features of the Cottonwood Mountains beyond the dunes and across the Valley.

If you look closely enough, you can find a number of features that characterize this area of the valley. The foreground flats are “filled” with plants that grow a good distance apart from one another, apparently due to the limited water. The edge of the dunes spills over slightly into the gravelly flat but then rises quite high. Beyond the dunes, and faintly seen through the haze, a giant alluvial fan slants down from higher mountains to the left. (It sometimes surprises visitors to see how much the terrain in this very dry place has been shaped by water.) Beyond the sloping fan, the rugged Cottonwood Mountains, part of the Panamint Range, begin to rise to quite high peaks.

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

Winter Moon, Clouds, and Granite

February 28, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter moon rises through post-storm clouds above Yosemite Valley, California

On this winter evening, photographing the “usual subjects” in Yosemite Valley was not easy. This was the weekend of the Horsetail Falls pilgrimage, and hundreds or perhaps thousands of people were lined up with cameras in hopes of making their photograph of this thing/event – but for most this was not to be as the water fall was almost dried up and clouds blocked the sunset light. It had been a cloudy day, starting out with rain and staying that way for a good part of the day, with even a bit of light snow at times. As evening approached it looked like the cloud deck was going to remain thick and low and that it would likely be a gray evening.

With it looking like the potential for inspiring light was quite low, we went to Tunnel View – it seemed as good as any other option, it can be an inspiring place even when it doesn’t provide inspiring photographic opportunities, and I was with someone who had not really tried to photograph there. When we arrived there was some clearing, though the clouds seemed to remain thick to the west, meaning the no brilliant light was likely to be seen. I put a long lens on my camera and worked the upper rim of the Valley to my right, about 90 degrees away from the direction most were shooting, but where fog and mist drifted across the rim, granite pinnacles and cliffs, and among trees. As I watched this I noticed the nearly full moon occasionally poke out from behind clouds above Sentinel Rocks as the clouds and mist drifted this way and that. Since it was that early twilight time when a good exposure for the light of the moon can also work for other subjects such as clouds, sky, and mountains, I swung the camera around and watched the drifting clouds, waiting or moments when the took on interesting shapes and when the moon was visible.

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

Sandstone Tower, Fruita District

February 21, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A sandstone tower stands above the Fruita District orchards in early evening light, Capitol Reef National Park

These sandstone plateaus and mesas seem characteristic of this front-country area of Capitol Reef National Park, and they are perhaps the most striking visual icon of your approach to the park from the town of Torrey, Utah, to the west. The Fruita District is the most accessible area of the park, being right alongside the main east-west highway that passes through the park. It features some picturesque sites and sights that are enough to make almost anyone pull over and look, including the old orchards that apparently gave the area its name and the accessible petroglyphs on low cliffs that run along the road. (Although this portion of the park is quite accessible once you are out here and driving across Utah, most of the park is anything but easily accessible, and getting to other places within its boundaries can involve some very long drives on some fairly bad roads, plus some hiking. I’m fine with that! ;-)

I made this photograph late in the day, after we had done a bit of exploring along the main tourist route into the park, the largely paved road towards Capitol Gorge and other nearby points. Late in the day I happened to spot this little conjunction of creek and fall-color tree and green grass and red rock cliffs as we were about to leave the park.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: blue

Tree, Fog, Dawn Sky

Mesquite Dunes, Cottonwood Mountains

Winter Moon, Clouds, and Granite

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