Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin

Sunset Clouds, Mono Craters

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Sunset Clouds, Mono Craters
“Sunset Clouds, Mono Craters” — The last sunset light on clouds above Mono Craters.

This ridge is comprised of the Mono Craters, a string of volcanic cones running roughly south from Mono Lake east of the Sierra Nevada. We don’t typically think of the Sierra as a volcanic range, but there are quite a few examples of volcanism to be seen once you get to know the area. If you head over the Sierra to Lee Vining and then turn south you will see a lot of evidence of this. You begin with the islands in Mono Lake, then. see another cinder cone just south of the lake. The Mono Craters rise just south of highway 120 as it heads out into the lonely basin and range country. Continuing south you pass several impressive cones and lava flows on your way to Mammoth Lakes, where Mammoth Peak rises — yes, another volcanic feature. From there, if you hike south you can see the string continue.

I was here at the end of September on a sort of “getting reacquainted with the Sierra” trip after returning from ten weeks of overseas travel. That travel was wonderful, but it was great to be back ”home” in California’s mountains. On this evening I was photographing an absolutely wild sunset over Mono Lake, and as a sort of side-show I saw this lovely light over the craters as the last light illuminated clouds and remnants of falling rain.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Clearing Fog, Point Lobos

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Clearing Fog, Point Lobos
“Clearing Fog, Point Lobos” — Morning fog clears in the distance at Point Lobos.

In early spring I made a quick visit to Point Lobos, located between Monterey and the Big Sur area. (The latter was still closed due to storm-caused road damage, and the thru-route won’t likely open again until much later this year.) I went early on a weekday morning, more or less the only way to enjoy this place without crowds, especially now that the weather is warming. I spent hours slowly wandering familiar areas, and enjoying the quiet morning.

As much as any other photographer, I often gravitate to making photographs of the Pacific coast that capture its grand scale and the power of the ocean. (I love to photograph the drama of Pacific winter storm surf.) But this morning and this picture represent a different but also compelling state of the coast — a quiet, gray day on which nothing seemed hurried.

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

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Jumbled Rocks and Strata

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Jumbled Rocks and Strata
“Jumbled Rocks and Strata” — Stratified rocks and piles of jumbled boulders line the shoreline of a cove, Point Lobos.

This geology is found along the edges of one of the famous coves at Point Lobos, on the California coast between Monterey and Big Sur. Here deeply stratified rock formations meet the sea, curving and bending as they gradually drop into the cove. The surf continuously erodes the rocks, depositing broken pieces of these formations on the shoreline, along with driftwood and bits of rock from other locations.

I rarely photograph the “all” of this subject. More typically I wander slowly among the rocks and driftwood and other things cast up by the surf, looking for small “intimate landscape” subjects. A close look at this scene may reveal some of the elements of those photographs.

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Church, Cloud-Filled Sky

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Desert Church, Cloud-Filled Sky
“Desert Church, Cloud-Filled Sky” — Cloud-filled skies above the St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Roman Catholic Church in Trona, California

This is not the first time I have photographed this striking desert church, and isn’t even the only photograph of the subject from my visit to this area earlier this year. Trona is a small, hard-scrabble town in the desert between Ridgecrest and Death Valley. It is build around extraction industries, primarily based on “mining” the mineral deposits left behind when water evaporates from nearly Searles Lake. It is a tough place, full of abandoned buildings, and terribly hot at times.

The church has caught my attention for years as I’ve passed through on my way to Death Valley. It is one of the most unusual Catholic churches I have seen. Its construction seems entirely utilitarian, and its shape is notable blocky and square. There’s nothing colorful or soaring about its structure. This all seems fitting in this harsh environment. On this visit I paused to photograph it again, this time with an impressive cloud-filled sky from a departing late-winter storm.

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.