Tag Archives: cliffs

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

Canyon Narrows

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Canyon Narrows
A desert mountain wash winds through narrows between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

Canyon Narrows. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A desert mountain canyon winds through narrows between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

Believe it or not, this is Titus Canyon, through which a remarkable road passes. The road runs almost thirty miles from near the Nevada border, over mountains, past old mines, and eventually emerging into Death Valley. Or at least it used to. We hiked into the canyon from the west end in late March — when it was closed to vehicles due to damage in a big storm last year. The road is essentially obliterated, and the canyon is as it was in pre-road days.

This photograph is an example of a principle that occurred to me many years ago when photographing redwoods and considering how to portray their extreme height. The counter-intuitive principle sometimes turns out to be, “go wide, not tall.” I feel that a wide landscape format creates a subjective sense of “it is so tall that it won’t fit in the frame.” In this case, I think it also emphasizes the twisting, meandering path that the canyon takes through the narrows.

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

Twisting Desert Canyon

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Twisting Desert Canyon
A deep desert canyon winds between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

Twisting Desert Canyon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A deep desert canyon winds between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

In a recent post I mentioned that I had finished sharing photographs from my January visit to Death Valley. What I did not mention was that we were heading back in late March to make more photographs. With this post I begin sharing photographs from this second trip. Death Valley is never the same twice, and on this visit we encountered rain, snow, high winds, and much more. In fact, our visit to this canyon was partially intended to avoid the winds sweeping through the valley that day.

I am making an exception to my policy of usually not naming specific locations: this is from Titus Canyon. A long, popular, and quite remarkable road traverses this route, starting in Nevada, climbing through high mountains, then descending a deep canyon to emerge in Death Valley. Last year’s historical rainfall damaged the road, and the only access is now by hiking. I write “damaged,” but the truth is that, at least in the lower canyon that we visited, the road was actually “obliterated.” There are literally no traces of it at all. It was a rare treat to experience this canyon as it must have been before automobiles.

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 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

Red Cliffs, Dawn

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Red Cliffs, Dawn
Red Cliffs, in dawn light, in front of Death Valley and distant desert mountains.

Red Cliffs, Dawn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Red Cliffs, in dawn light, in front of Death Valley and distant desert mountains.

During my January visit to Death Valley National Park I ended up exploring this scene over a period of several days. My ability to travel more widely in the park was limited by storm-related road closures, so I took a closer look than usual at areas nearer main attractions. The first time I was in this area I missed the good light but saw potential, so I returned later on scout more thoroughly. (That led to a lovely, solitary hike up a long wash that doesn’t seem to get many visitors.) I went back for a third time, arriving well before sunrise and photographing until the light became less compelling.

There’s a whole lot of “Death Valley stuff” in this photograph. The foreground includes eroded badlands terrain with multi-colored soils. Above this a band of rugged red cliffs catches the day’s first direct sunlight. Further in the distance immense salt flats are still in shadow, and near the limits of visibility another big mountain range rises through the atmospheric haze.

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: Ocean & Coast

Headlands and Sea Stacks

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Headlands and Sea Stacks
Steep headlands and sea stacks along the rugged Big Sur coast, California.

Headlands and Sea Stacks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Steep headlands and sea stacks along the rugged Big Sur coast, California.

In several ways, though not all, this was the best kind of winter day to photograph along the Big Sur coast. Recent storms had complicated access just enough to keep the crowds away. The lingering moisture softened the atmosphere and light. The surf was up. I stopped at a few of the usual places, but also found a few new overlooks. This is the second time I’ve been to this specific spot, and the conditions were different each time.

The scene is full of elements of a “typical” Big Sur coast photograph. Steep headlands running into the ocean? Check. Sea stacks just offshore? Check. The ever-present horizon? Check. Surf? Check. A bit of mist or fog? Check. Perhaps add a stop at the Big Sur Bakery along the way, and all of the pieces are in place!

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.