Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Mountains, Clearing Storm

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Desert Mountains, Clearing Storm
An early-spring mountain snow storm clears from desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains, Clearing Storm. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An early-spring mountain snow storm clears from desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

This photograph comes from a morning in Death Valley when the light, for the most part, was singularly uninspiring. I knew it would be cloudy from the weather forecast, and when I went out before dawn there was just enough light to confirm this. But it was the last morning in the valley, and I was determined to at least see if anything would crop up. I loaded up and walked into sand dunes… where the light remained resolutely gray, the skies overcast, and it even rained a bit. But sometimes a break in awful light can produce glorious light…

… which is precisely what happened for a few moments as the light from the rising sun found some holes in the clouds and illuminated the summit of desert mountains, where the remnants of a passing storm were still dropping snow and rain. It was a reminder that going out on the unlikely days can sometimes produce something wonderful!

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Dunes at Dusk

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Dunes at Dusk
Soft dusk light on low sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes at Dusk. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Soft dusk light on low sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

This subject is going to appear in several photographs from our late-March visit to Death Valley National Park. Some of them will focus on the astonishing power of a dust storm that swept through near the end of the trip. However, this one comes from a different evening, a quiet one with gentle winds and soft light.

The conditions make all the difference when photographing dunes, More than almost any other sort of landscape, the appearance of sand dunes varies greatly depending upon intensity, quality, and color of light. Here I photographed in the early twilight just after the sun had dropped behind distant mountains in the west. The dunes picked up the pink of the sunset, the blue of the sky, and the softness of indirect 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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Badlands, Desert Valley

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Badlands, Desert Valley
The view across eroded badlands hill and up a broad wash toward desert mountains.

Badlands, Desert Valley. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view across eroded badlands hills and up a broad wash toward desert mountains.

This scene has intrigued and challenged me for quite a while, and this is certainly not the first time I have photographed it. I is near an area where I frequently photograph in Death Valley, and for a variety of reasons I typically arrive at this spot after completing work in nearly locations. The view opens suddenly from a high perspective at a turn in the route, and I hardly ever pass without stopping.

As can be the case in the desert landscape distance, atmospheric contact, lighting, and subjects of low contrast are both pluses and minuses. Landscapes that may look well-defined in person are not always easy to translate to a photograph. This time I decided to render this subject in monochrome, which gives me more control over some of these parameters and try to register the depth of the scene.

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.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Spring Wildflowers and Rain

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Spring Wildflowers and Rain
A carpet of spring wildflowers extends across a broad Californai valley as rain falls from passing clouds.

Spring Wildflowers and Rain. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A carpet of spring wildflowers extends across a broad California valley as rain falls from passing clouds.

While visiting Death Valley near the end of March we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to modify our return to the Bay Area by adding an extra travel day and visiting Carrizo Plain National Monument. In wet years this typically dry place erupts in spring color as wildflowers carpet the valley and surrounding mountains — and this being a very wet year a visit seemed appropriate. We made it to the Carrizo, though the full story of weather and detours will have to wait for a later post.

California’s exceptional 2022-23 weather was on view during our visit. It was supposed to be sunny and dry, but we passed through some pretty heavy downpours — and one of those showers is visible in the distance in this photograph. Here a carpet of wildflowers extends across the broad valley toward distant hills.

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.