Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Northern California

Space Shuttle Endeavour Flyover – Moffett Field

1 Comment
Space Shuttle Endeavor flyover - Moffett Field
Space Shuttle Endeavor flyover – Moffett Field

Space Shuttle Endeavour flyover. Moffett Field, California. September 21, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Flyover – Moffett Field.

This was an exciting moment! The space shuttle Endeavour was on its final “flyover” around California on Friday this week as it made its way toward its new home in a museum in Los Angeles. Since it was scheduled to fly over the NASA/Ames Research Center air field – the old Moffett Field – I decided to be there with camera in hand. Having been warned of big crowds and bad traffic, I was up at 5:20 a.m. in order to catch public transit shortly after 6:00 a.m., and I arrived at the gates to the facility at about 7:30 a.m. The crowds were not too large at that point, though they swelled as that actual event got closer.

Moffett Field is a place with some meaning to people who have lived on the San Francisco Peninsula for some time – especially to those, like me, who were brought up here. I can recall going there with my family on the old “Armed Forces Day” to see the big annual air show, which often featured the Blue Angels. The large dirigible hangars at the base still stand (though one is undergoing renovation), and they have long been landmarks for people traveling along US 101 between Silicon Valley and San Francisco. As I walked out onto the edge of the runway, memories of many past visits to the place came back to me.

Since I arrived at 7:30, I had quite a while to wait before the shuttle and its 747 transport aircraft arrived. I spent a bit of time photographing the crowd, the old “Hangar One,” other airfield facilities, and even the interesting clouds. The flyover was scheduled for 9:30, but reports made it clear that there would be a delay, and we gradually figured out that it might be 10:30 or a bit later. Shortly after 10:30 the cry “there it is!” went up, and far to the left (as we faced the runway) we could see the small shape of the far-off shuttle and its carrier. Perhaps it is due to the size of the combined aircraft, but they seemed to move very slowly. We had been given the expectation that they would fly in front of us along the runway, but as the shuttle approached it became clear that it would actually pass behind us and on the other side of the old hangar. I made a few shots before it passed behind the upper section of the structure, flying surprisingly low, and then continued shooting as it emerged along the top of the hangar, then passed it, and continued on toward the mountains to the south. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion, and there was plenty of time to make photographs of the astonishing sight. After many years of seeing shuttles on television and in print, it was stunning to see that actual thing fly by so close. (I had seen one lift-off in Florida some years ago, though from such a great distance that I couldn’t see anything like the detail I could make out here.)

On a photographic note, I shot this whole thing handheld using a full-frame camera with a 100-400mm zoom. Once again the zoom proved itself. Not only did it produce images with enough resolution that I can see the 747 pilot looking out the window at the crowd in the full size version, but it let me adjust focal length as the show flew past – at its closest it was so large that the whole thing did not fit in the frame at 400mm!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Half Dome, Dusk

1 Comment
Half Dome, Dusk - Half Dome and lone tree at dusk, from Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park.
Half Dome and lone tree at dusk, from Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park.

Half Dome, Dusk. Yosemite National Park, California. September 16, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Half Dome and lone tree at dusk, from Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park.

Last week I was making the long drive back over the Tioga Pass Road from the “east side” following a short pack trip up into McGee Canyon. After catching an early dinner in Mammoth, I headed north and then up over the pass, crossing into Yosemite about an hour before sunset. I figured that this would give me one more chance to do a quick bit of photography before calling it quits and focusing on the drive back to the Bay Area. Since I had spent some time earlier in the week shooting in the Dana Fork meadows and in Tuolumne Meadows itself, I decided to continue on and just see where I might end up a half hour or so before sunset.

It turns out that the “where” ended up being Olmsted Point – not exactly an original place to shoot, but what the heck! In the back of my mind, of course, was the possibility of shooting the classic “back side” view of Half Dome if the evening light proved interesting enough. So one of the first things I did was scope out the precise spot where I wanted to shoot that subject a bit later. Then I turned my attention elsewhere. It turns out that there are quite a few other interesting things to photograph here: the trees across the road on the large glaciated dome, the trees below the parking area, sparse trees growing along ridge tops all around, side light from the setting sun, and much more. So while waiting to see how that Half Dome thing might develop, I shot a bunch of other subjects, all the while watching the evolving light down towards The Valley. At first it didn’t seem all that interesting. The light was a bit flat, perhaps due to cloud cover to the west, and the potentially interesting overhead clouds had a bit of a strange color cast. However, I suspected that after the sun set that there might be some interesting glow on the face from the west, and that the clouds still might pick up some interesting color. And, in fact, this photograph was made when the sun was no longer shining directly on Half Dome – instead it was illuminated to that “after glow” of the sunset as the very last sun began to color the streaming clouds beyond.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dana Fork Meadow, Cathedral Range

Leave a comment
Dana Fork Meadow, Cathedral Range - Golden late-summer evening light on a small meadow along the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, with the Cathedral Range in the distance.
Golden late-summer evening light on a small meadow along the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, with the Cathedral Range in the distance.

Dana Fork Meadow, Cathedral Range. Yosemite National Park, California. September 13, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Golden late-summer evening light on a small meadow along the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, with the Cathedral Range in the distance.

Yet more golden pre-autumnal light in the Yosemite Sierra! The scene is one of the many areas of subalpine meadow bordered (and sometimes being invaded by) forest trees found throughout the higher regions of Yosemite National Park. This particular bit of hilly and meadowy terrain was easier to access at the end of this dry season as the stream I crossed to get to this spot was very low. I shot during the last hour of the day as the sun angle became quite low, casting foreground shadows and softening details of more distant features in the seasonal haze.

The distant ridge is the Cathedral Range, with the iconic form of Cathedral Peak silhouetted at the far right. This was the kind of day that most often comes to mind when I think of early fall in the high Sierra – though the actual start of autumn was about a week away when I made the photograph. The weather was relatively warm for this elevation, and it had been mostly sunny all day. The early evening was softened by the haze and the golden hour light accentuated the golden brown colors of the meadow grasses and plants. Something about this time of year seems quieter and more peaceful than the main summer season – I’m not sure if it is the passing of the explosive summer growth period, the slowing of creeks, something in the wind or the light, or simply the knowledge that summer is ending.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees and Meadow, Morning

Leave a comment
Trees and Meadow, Morning - Late season golden morning light on trees at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.
Late season golden morning light on trees at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

Trees and Meadow, Morning. Yosemite National Park, California. September 13, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late season golden morning light on trees at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

It is probably no secret that there are certain kinds of light that especially appeal to me. Among my favorite is early morning sunlight, shining through a bit of atmospheric haze, and illuminating trees. On top of that, I’m a big fan of the warm golden-brown tones of September and autumn in the Sierra. With all of that in mind, how could I resist this subject?

I was in Tuolumne Meadows for a couple of nights in mid-September, with two main goals in mind. First, I wanted to spend a few days at altitude before heading over to the east side to meet friends for a short pack trip up into McGee Canyon. Second – or perhaps this should be first – I wanted to do some photography in the area along Tioga Pass Road between roughly Olmsted Point and the pass itself. I arrived late the first day, with just enough time to set up camp, grab something to eat, and head out to shoot the evening light. I was up reasonably early the next morning and out and about looking for subjects before the sun came up. I decided to stick fairly close to the meadows this time, and after heading to the west end and looking back I saw this beautiful warm light coming across the meadow as the sun topped the crest near Mount Dana, and silhouetting a small group of tall trees at the meadow’s edge.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.