Starflower and Redwood Sorrel. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Redwood sorrel and starflower plants growing beneath coast redwood trees.

Let’s continue a bit longer with the redwood forest floor focus. We visited several of the components of the Redwood National And State Parks this past June on a weeklong foray coastal Northern California. (And beyond — we briefly made it some distance up the Oregon coast.) On this morning we passed a side road with an intriguing name and spontaneously decided to take it. Leaving behind a somewhat crowded area, the narrow road soon took us upwards and deeper into the forest where there were almost no other people. Finally we stopped, got out, and started walking into the forest. It was the best that these redwood forests have to offer: the giant trees, flowing water, cool air, thick greenery, and soft light.

Photographing in these places can pose some surprising challenges. I generally photograph there early or late in the day, mostly to avoid stray beams of light that can seem intently bright against the backdrop of much darker forest. In fact, the forest can be so dark that surprisingly long exposures are often required. For various reasons, this photograph required a four-second exposure! You may already be guessing that this poses yet another problem, namely that in all but the most incredibly still conditions plants move subtly if the air moves at all.

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 and Amazon.

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