Tag Archives: california

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

Desert Sand Storm, Mountains

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Desert Sand Storm, Mountains
A sand storm builds above Death Valley and the Amargosa Mountains

Desert Sand Storm, Mountains. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sand storm builds above Death Valley and the Amargosa Mountains.

Remarkable weather conditions frequently arise in the desert landscape, including those unfamiliar with these places might not expect, along with others that are perfectly obvious. In the “obvious” category are things like intense heat and strong winds that can produce dust and sand storms. The nearly opaque lower atmosphere in this photograph is due to precisely that — extreme winds were lifting sand and dust from the playa and dunes and sending them northeastward over the Amargosa Mountains. However, above the blowing sand are rain clouds that were dropping light showers around the area late in the day.

These are not easy conditions in which to make photographs, but the visual rewards often make it worth the attempt. I made this photograph from the just outside the limits of the blowing dust and sand clouds, though even here there was dust in the air and the wind was so strong that it was virtually impossible to complete stabilize my camera. After photographing here we continued on into the dust and wind, first going up into those distant mountains and finally heading down to the dunes that were the source of the cloud. There the conditions were both impressive and miserable as the day ended.

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

Dunes At Dawn

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Dunes At Dawn
Dawn light and shadow patterns on sand dunes, Death Valley

Dunes At Dawn. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn light and shadow patterns on sand dunes, Death Valley.

Other recent photographic posts here have mentioned the astonishing transition of desert light between the pre-dawn twilight and the post-dawn light of daytime, and especially the rapid changes that occur right around sunrise itself. I made this photograph during the first moments after the direct sun had made its way onto the dunes after rising above a mountain range far to the east. At this point the light is still warm, but significantly less so that during that first instant of direct light, and the shadows still are deeply blue from the color of early morning sky.

The small stand of foreground creosote is emblematic of one of the astonishing things about sand dunes, namely that there is so much living stuff in a place that first appears to be completely inhospitable to life. It is a challenging environment, and plants are few and far between, but they do manage to survive. In the springtime the permanent plants such as the creosote bushes are briefly embellished by the appearance of seasonal flowers, at least during years with sufficient 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 and Amazon.

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

Photographs: Nature

Desert Indian Paintbrush

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Desert Indian Paintbrush
Indian paintbrush flowers in a canyon at Death Valley National Park

Desert Indian Paintbrush. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Indian paintbrush flowers in a canyon at Death Valley National Park.

This impressive — and very red! — flower and its neighbors were photographed in Death Valley National Park in early April, as this year’s spring bloom seemed to be getting underway in earnest. Predicting desert wildflower bloom timing is a tricky thing. This year a lot of folks were saying that there wouldn’t be that much of a bloom since the early season had been rather dry. However, very heavy rains swept through Southern California, including Death Valley, in early 2019. An atmospheric river situation developed near the start of March and there was enough rain to flood washes, fill desert playas, and damage many roads. I had an idea that there might be a good bloom this year, but that it might be a bit later than usual. Judging what I saw on my two visits — one in early March and other at the start of April — that is what happened, and a lot of flowers were emerging near the end of that second visit.

I’m going to use the second part of this post to share a little technical consideration to be aware of when photographing intensely colorful subjects, especially those that are yellow, orange, red, purple, or similar colors. It has to do with exposure. Most digital cameras meter the overall light, but they assume that the colors will be roughly balanced. In scenes with extremely intense colors — like those seen on the paintbrush flowers — the camera’s metering system can over-expose a color channel, often the red channel, even when it seems like the exposure is right. Often the safest thing to do when photographing such a subject (flowers, brilliant sunsets, autumn leaves) is to under-expose by about 1/3 to 2/3 stops so that you’ll retain some highlight detail in the intensely colorful subject.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

First Light, Dunes and Creosote

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First Light, Dunes and Creosote
Blossoming spring creosote plants among the sand dunes at first light.

First Light, Dunes and Creosote. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Blossoming spring creosote plants among the sand dunes at first light.

I love early morning in the sand dunes. When photographing there I typically arrive well before sunrise, when there is just a hint of light in the sky. In Death Valley this is mostly a very quiet time of the day, often with few other visitors, when the winds have died down yet the temperatures are still comfortable. The ideal morning is preceded by a windy afternoon the day before and into the evening, which may wipe away many of the footprints from the previous day’s visitors. However, walking into the dunes I always find new “footprints” — of mice and reptiles and other desert residents.

The transition of morning dusk light to full sunlight always amazes me, even after experiencing it many times. At first things move slowly though inexorably as the overall sky begins to gradually lighten. Well before actual sunrise there is quite a bit of light, but it is soft and gentle light, generally with a blue tint from the pre-sunrise sky. (I made this photograph at just about this point.) Then the pace accelerates as the first direct sunlight strikes some high point, generally to my west, and the light begins to transition to the saturated reddish colors of sunrise and work its way to lower elevations. By this time I’m engaged in photographing and usually working fast as the light changes very quickly. As the sun rises above the horizon or a mountain ridge a brief moment of soft, direct light begins, but the light quickly becomes intense and the difference between shadow and highlights becomes very large. Before long the coloration of this intense light diminishes and conditions move toward “just plain daylight.” I photograph a bit longer… and then it is time for a break!

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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