Tag Archives: dawn

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

Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly

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Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly
“Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly” — Dawn clouds and the distant Panamint Mountains reflected on the surface of Lake Manly, Death Valley.

I was not surprised to see quite a few people when I visited Death Vally earlier this month. Not only is this the peak season in any year, but the temporary reappearance of Lake Manly has been all over the media. In fact, that’s one of the big reasons I chose to go at this particular point. Over the years I have learned that it is often possible to escape the hordes just by going to a slightly different location than the most obvious ones. So I bypassed the “usual places” when I went out to photograph the lake on this morning — and I went very early, while most people were still sleeping!

There was not really enough light to photograph yet when I arrived here. My first intended target was the early light on the peaks of the Panamint Mountains along the opposite side of the valley. But before the light reached those summits it began to illuminate beautiful clouds forming above the terrain. I like that the absence of detail in the mountains and their reflection accentuates their abstract forms.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Tree, Dawn Sky

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Winter Tree, Dawn Sky
“Winter Tree, Dawn Sky” — A solitary tree in front of a winter sunrise, California Central Valley.

This photograph is the result of an unexpected and disappointing happenstance… that turned out fine in the end. I had driven a couple of hours before dawn to photograph in the Central Valley. But when I arrived I found a small group of people waiting outside a locked gate. That happens sometimes, and sooner or later the gate opens automatically. But this time it did not, and we could not find a way to open it. Rather than sit around and wait — and miss the sunrise — I headed off to look for alternatives.

A few miles away I came upon a creek and some surrounding wetlands where trees grow. I quickly found a few potential compositions in the rapidly arriving sunrise light. One of the first was this lone tree, silhouetted against ann intensely colorful sky. (Eventually I returned to that locked gate. Someone did finally show up annd open it.)

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Sunrise Reflections

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Winter Sunrise Reflections
“Winter Sunrise Reflections” — Winter sunrise over the distant Sierra Nevada reflected in a Central Valley wetland pond.

This is another photograph in the (very!) “not pastel” series, contrasting with some of the subtler winter photographs I have shared this winter. It was a very intense sunrise — as another photographer there said, it was almost too intense. I arrived before sunrise, and the cloud shield from a weather front approaching from the west extended over and past me toward the sunrise. This left the eastern sky quite bright, and the edge of the clouds glowed in morning light.

The view looks toward the Sierra Nevada from the Central Valley. While the fog and haze in the valley often obscure the range, in clearer conditions you can see virtually all of it along the eastern horizon. This gives a sense of the scale of these mountains, and the fact that we see light in the sky beyond them reinforces the extraordinary distances that are in view.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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

Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra

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Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra
“Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra” — A cloudy winter sunrise above the Sierra Nevada, as seen from the Central Valley.

There is a lot going on in this photograph. Of course, the most obvious first impression is likely to be the wild light. It was a cloudy dawn, and in the gap between the edge of a weather front and the distant Sierra Nevada the sky colors were very intense. And, yes, those mountains are the crest of the Sierra Nevada as viewed from the farmlands of the Central Valley.

It was also hazy, and that made the atmosphere between me and the mountains glow orange For a moment as the sky lit up. Closer, out there among the trees dotting the landscape, tule fog hugged the ground and drifted, occasionally rising over obstructions.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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