Tag Archives: desert

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Striped Rock, Grass, and Sand

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Striped Rock, Grass, and Sand
“Striped Rock, Grass, and Sand” — A striped rock atop sand, Grand Staircase-EscalenteNational Monument

I made this photograph in the first canyon we investigated during my late-October 2012 visit to Utah with photographer friends. We drove up a long gravel road and pulled off at a wide spot to find the creek that came out of this canyon, which we followed a good distance upstream. Believe it or not, this was the first time that I had hiked such a canyon and it was exciting to move from imagining the experience to actually doing it! We started out by essentially walking up the creek bed though the flats below where it left the canyon, wading through shallow water and little sand bars. Soon we entered the canyon itself and the “path” involved walking alongside the creek, frequently crossing from one side of the stream to the other to avoid obstacles, and sometimes just walking right up the stream bed, as that often provided the clearest path.

In the location where I made this photograph, the light became very red as it reflected between the upper sandstone canyon walls, and although I was shooting in the shade I had unusually warm toned light to work with. The sand here comes from – no surprise! – sandstone, and was very red in places. This bit of sand had been smoothed by the passage of higher water which had also flattened the grasses and wrapped them around this small rock with its bright red stripe.

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

Dawn Sky, Panamint Range

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Dawn Sky, Panamint Range
Dawn Sky, Panamint Range

Dawn Sky, Panamint Range. Death Valley National Park, California. January 5, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

First dawn light on clouds above Death Valley, as seen from high in the Panamint Range

I recently “discovered” (or perhaps “remembered?”) this photograph that I made nearly a year earlier during an early January 2012 trip to do winter photography in Death Valley National Park. Winter is a wonderful time in Death Valley, though the season can present its own challenges – not the same as summer, but challenges nonetheless. The challenges include, believe it or not, the possibility of some very, very cold weather, especially in some of the higher outlying areas of the park an up in the mountains, such as here in the Panamint Range. But there are special rewards, too, including the possibility of snow among the peaks and the more interesting skies that can come with the passage of winter low pressure systems that originate in the Pacific Ocean.

On this morning I had gotten out of my sleeping bag well before dawn so that I would have time to drive to this overlook high in the Panamints before sun rise. It was still dark as I drove the last section of the gravel road approach, and its wasn’t until after I arrived that there was enough light to see that this might turn out to be a spectacular sunrise. (When you get up in darkness and drive many miles, you have to take it on faith that something special might occur, and accept the possibility that it might not.) My original subject ideas for this location were not so much about sky as about deep valleys and receding ridges, but when the first sun hit these high clouds I was willing to angle the tripod up a bit to photograph them! This light on the clouds only lasted a few minutes, and after that I turned my attention back to the landscape below.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Red Rock at Dusk

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Red Rock at Dusk
Red Rock at Dusk

Red Rock at Dusk. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 8, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Red rock sandstone cliffs at dusk in the Fruita area of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

The farther mesa or tableland is a prominent feature of the Fruita District area of Capitol Reef National Park as seen when approaching from the west – though here it is photographed from a slightly different point of view that is more to the south. There is a prominent feature – not seen in this photograph – along the upper rim of these cliffs that is known as “The Organ,” and which is pointed out in guides and maps to the area. However, I’m surprise that the spectacular cliff and mesa itself seems to either not have a name or else have a name that is not widely known. I asked about this when I was there, and several people who should know did not know of a name for it, and one suggested a name that comes from another feature that is more general.

Nonetheless, these cliffs certainly impress me, named or not! The photograph was made rather late in the day, as the sun was just about to drop above the edge of the higher country to the left/west of here. Thin clouds somewhat diffused and softened the evening light, but not so much as to remove the warm coloration of the light. Among the strata visible here is one along the low ridge at front right that contains starkly differentiated layers of lighter and darker rock. Near the far lower left corner is a small area of trees that is not far from the campgrounds of the Fruita area.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist 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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash

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Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash
Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash

Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash. Arches National Park, Utah. October 11, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn cottonwood trees along Courthouse Wash and sandstone towers, Arches National Park

After a second visit to Arches National Park and a few days into that visit, I was beginning to be able to see past the main, iconic towers and arches and other sandstone structures. This takes a while. When visiting a new location, it is natural and, I think, even a good idea to go with the icons at least a bit. They are, as the saying goes, icons for a reason. While I cannot say that I’m yet close to knowing this park nearly as well as I would like to, on this morning I began to feel that I was beginning to see past the main features a bit more. (Though I confess that I did begin the day shooting one of those well know features.)

As we drove out on the main road, I quickly noticed the beautiful cottonwood fall colors down in the bottom of Courthouse Wash. Shortly after crossing a creek bed, we pulled over and I wandered off to photograph these trees. Before I finished here, I had tried a number of different approaches to the subject – shooting mixed brown and yellow leaves collected on the ground beneath them branches silhouetted against morning sky, and here the backlit trees with some of the characteristic red rock towers beyond.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist 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.