Tag Archives: dense

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Coastal Redwood Forest

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Coastal Redwood Forest
“Coastal Redwood Forest” — A young coastal redwood forest, Pheiffer Big Sur State Park.

Photographing California’s coastal redwood forests can be a (fun) challenge. There is often an overwhelming amount of “stuff” in the scene — trunks, branches, undergrowth, all growing densely. Part of the challenge is finding a workable composition among all of the details. Light can also be tricky. On sunny days light beams fill the scene and pose nearly unsolvable dynamic range issues — shadows go completely black and highlights threaten to blow out. I made this photograph on a cloudy morning when the overcast was thinning a bit, producing some very soft light.

The location is Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Oddly, as a lifelong Californian who has passed by here often, I have barely explored this park. In fact, I can recall only one previous brief visit. Perhaps this is because I’m typically in the area to photograph coastal subjects rather than forests, and perhaps also because there are other redwood parks closer to where I live. This little scene is a obscure one near the main campgrounds and a nature trail.

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: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

In the Scottish Forest

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In the Scottish Forest
“In the Scottish Forest” — A small tree growing in the dense forest on a rainy day on the Great Glen Way, Scotland.

I made this photograph near the end of our May trek along Scotland’s Great Glen Way. It was the final day of our walk, and we would end arrive at Inverness later that day. I think we thought this would be a sort of easy, level and downhill walk to our destination. It started that way, along a narrow country road through fam country, but the sky soon clouded up (hey, it is Scotland!) and before long it began to rain. I saw this tree off to the side as we walked through a particularly dark and wet section of forest.

The rest of the day was a bit odd — though it was not all dark like this photo. The rain continued, mostly light but fairly continuous. Eventually we began to spot buildings on the edge of Inverness through breaks in the trees. Before long the path dropped toward the outskirts of the town, and the hike was more and more along urban sidewalks and paths. Then we missed a sign somewhere and got off route, eventually realizing our mistake and correcting — and before long we crossed the river to downtown Inverness and reached the official end point of the walk.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Torre del Mangia, Siena

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Torre del Mangia, Siena
“Torre del Mangia, Siena” — Overview of a portion of historic central Siena with the Torre del Mangia.

This might be one of the more traditional “travel photographs” that I’ve shared, but I think it is a pretty interesting one for what it illustrates about the old, central part of Siena, Italy. The dominant feature is the tower, the Torre del Mangia, located next to the Campo, or central square of the city, famous for its horse races.

But beyond that singular feature, there are a lot of other details in the scene. I photographed from a slightly elevated position just at the edge of the old part of the town, and the rising hill reveals just how densely packed the buildings are — and how much the town’s layout comes from an era when people got around by walking rather than driving.

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

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tule Fog and Reflection

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Tule Fog and Reflection
“Tule Fog and Reflection” — Morning sunlight reflects on the surface of a wetland pond covered by winter tule fog.

After starting the morning in fog so thick that I could not see (or photograph), I stopped here along a levee road as the fog began to thin. I still couldn’t see much more than perhaps fifty yards along the ground, but the tule fog was shallow enough that light penetrated it and I could see the sky. As the sun rose above the Sierra it broke free of clouds and its light reflected on the surface of this pond.

Color in foggy conditions is a tricky thing. Looking into the foggy void, everything seems essentially gray. But the atmosphere picks up all sorts of colorations — the warm tones of sunrise light, the blue of the sky, and sometimes combinations of these things. Here the light took on a slightly pink quality that didn’t completely wash out the blue from the sky.

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.