Tag Archives: clouds

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Mountain Sunset

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Desert Mountain Sunset
“Desert Mountain Sunset” — Golden hour light on desert mountains, Death Valley.

The final full day of our pre-Christmas visit to Death Valley was mostly not ideal for photography. A winter storm was approaching, and most of the day was quite gray. We managed to get out and photograph in some canyons, but by mid-afternoon the prospects were deteriorating rapidly, and we decided to take a break. Somewhat later, without warning, there was a brief clearing before sunset… so off we went to take advantage of the light!

The best light appeared to be well north of us, so we loaded up the vehicle and headed that way. By this time the light was evolving quickly, partially as a result of the changing atmospheric conditions but also because it was late in the day. When I saw the colorful light on these somewhat distant, rugged mountains I stopped and put a long lens on the camera so that I could capture the scene before the light faded.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Manly Lake Reflections

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“Manly Lake Reflections” — Manly Lake reflects peaks of the Panamint Range, Death Valley.

We arrived before sunrise to photograph at Badwater Basin, featuring Manly Lake, and we continued to photograph well past the golden hour. As the day continues, the colors of the desert landscape soften and become less intense. That was the effect I was looking to capture in this photograph. The light on the mountains is still warm, but the dawn color is gone from the cloud-filled sky and its reflection.

I chose to include a bit of the playa material breaking the surface of the water in order to anchor the scale of the scene. While the mirrored forms of distant mountains and clouds are almost abstract, those bits of material emerging from the shallow water remind us of the reality of the scene.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cathedral Range

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Cathedral Range
“Cathedral Range” — The distant Cathedral Range rises above Yosemite high country forests and meadows under evening clouds.

This was the scene late in the day during my early July visit to the High Sierra near Tuolumne Meadows and just east of Yosemite National Park. In the right light, this can be my favorite time of day — the sun Is nearing the horizon and the light is softening and turning golden, and shadows stretch across the landscape. I made the photograph next to a high country meadow that opens to a view of the distant Cathedral Range.

The Cathedral Range has a unique personality. It is not on the Sierra Crest, but instead runs more or less northwest to southeast between the the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers. It rises from mostly forested country to culminate in open granite terrain, with some summits that escaped glaciation and are rugged and steep.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Dawn Clouds, Death Valley

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Dawn Clouds, Death Valley
“Dawn Clouds, Death Valley” — Colorful dawn clouds above Death Valley and the Panamint Mountains.

The camera position for this photograph was a high point in the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park. We arrived before sunrise, when the sky was just beginning to take on dawn colors, and the clouds were becoming blood red. There are few colors in nature that are as intense… and as difficult to photograph, at least if you want the photograph to suggest what you saw when you were there.

To my way of thinking, after a few decades of visiting and photographing the place, the most interesting locations in this park are not the most popular ones. They are off in odd, sometimes distant corners of the region. You may have to deal with a few adversities getting to them. (One winter I was turned back from this location by snow.) But the rewards are worth it.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.