Tag Archives: blue

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Fog and Tree at First Light

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“Fog and Tree at First Light” — A winter tree silhouetted against foggy dawn sky in California’s Central Valley.

I photographed this tree on the last morning of our New Year’s visit to California’s Central Valley. We were out there for three days — New Year’s Eve through January 2. Our targets were migratory birds (geese, cranes, and more) and the often-foggy valley landscape. Unlike most of the people who live out there — who prefer sunshine — we seek out the mysterious and moody qualities of the fog.

We arrived here right around the very first faint pre-dawn light — a slight glow in the eastern sky. It was foggy, just as we hoped, but the fog wasn’t all that dense or deep. We could see the sky overhead and there was enough visibility (barely) to drive safely. In places the fog thinned and we could see more of the landscape, albeit muted by haze. I photographed this tree well before sunrise and against the first color in the morning sky.

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: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel

Shades of Blue

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“Shades of Blue” — Details of a blue wall with shutter, Equisheim, Alsace.

I think of these photographs as a sort of “found geometry” — patterns of color and texture and lines that can be viewed abstractly if you prefer. When I travel I’m usually on the lookout for these little vignettes, which are everywhere once you start looking for them. This one is simply a wall of a building in the little Alsatian town of Eguisheim.

Beyond their abstract qualities, these subjects can also hold a lot of history if you look closely. Eguisheim is a very old town, and very old towns contain a lot of, well, very old stuff. But they also are usually continuously updated, repaired, and spruced up. We can let new things go for a while without maintenance, but these old structures require a lot of attention. Here someone has obviously taken the time to paint the walls in multiple colors. But before long the old walls wear out and chip and crack.

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 | BlueSky | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Lake, Mountains, Morning

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Mono Lake, Mountains, Morning
“Mono Lake, Mountains, Morning” — Early morning autumn light on Mono Lake and distant desert mountains.

Part of the challenge of photographing a familiar subject is finding a different perspective on it. This is especially true with “iconic” subjects that everyone has seen, and which we know by way of familiar views. If you think about any famous place you can probably visualize the scenes I’m thinking of — familiar views of familiar things. (I’m not against them. In fact, it is an interesting challenge to try to make those views different.) There are several familiar approaches to photographing Mono Lake. Yes, I’ve done them, too!

But this is not one of those familiar views. For one thing, the camera position here is not one that most people visiting the lake would think of or even know about. It is a pretty good distance from the lake — in fact the photograph was made with a very long lens. It is also elevated, up in mountains where sage meets aspens. I photographed in the early morning on a clear day, when the low morning sunlight was angling across the landscape from the right.

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

Green and Blue Windows

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Green and Blue Windows
“Green and Blue Windows” — Green and blue window frams on a blue-gray wall, San Jose.

Some subjects turn out to have been right in front of you all along. These window frames are at an old industrial building that I visit frequently. There’s a coffee place inside where we sometimes grab an espresso. Even better, there’s a fine local brewery. Beyond that, the building happens to be on one of my walking loops (the “four mile loop”) and I frequently pass through the parking lot where these windows are located.

Yet, despite having gone there for several years, I first noticed the windows only recently on one of my walks. I resolved to bring the camera with me the next time, and target the late morning hours when I new the sun would be almost in line with the wall, producing some interesting diagonal shadows.

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.