Tag Archives: early

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

Morning, Dune Shadows

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Morning, Dune Shadows
Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

Morning, Dune Shadows. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

As I usually do when photographing here, I arrived very early and began my walk out to a less-busy area of the dunes well before sunrise. The dawn and sunset transitions between night and day move quickly and, of course, present some of the most interesting visual opportunities. I photograph right though these transitional periods, often working quickly to try to take advantage of as many of the transient opportunities as possible.

When I look at this photograph I recall many things from this morning and others like it. The air is still and only hinting at the intense heat that will arrive later. As the first sunlight hits the tops of the dunes there is a striking contrast between the warm colors in the light and the blues in the shadows, where the light comes from the overhead bowl of the blue sky. As sun rises higher the light intensifies and the color gradually becomes less intense, providing new photographic opportunities.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Oak Tree, Clearing Spring Storm

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An oak tree surrounded by wildflowers and new growth, as an early spring storm clears.

Oak Tree, Clearing Spring Storm. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An oak tree surrounded by wildflowers and new growth, as an early spring storm clears.

This is the green season in California right now, although our opportunities to get out and experience it directly are limited right now. While I can get out for a daily neighborhood walk during our mandatory “Stay At Home” order, that keeps me mostly within walking distance of home. There is spring to see and experience locally, but not quite the same way as when I travel. So for now I’m tracking my way through my raw file archives, roughly following the current season, and rediscovering photographs that I left behind in the past.

I made this photograph on a beautiful early spring evening in California’s Temblor Range last year. It had been a day of those wonderful spring storms, when light and shadow and showers sweep across the green landscape, one after another. Late in the day I went to this elevated location and looked back across a valley through this oak tree as the storm clouds began to clear from the west.

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 and Amazon.

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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

Creosote, Dunes, Shadows

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Creosote, Dunes, Shadows
A clump of creosote among dunes shadowed by early morning light.

Creosote, Dunes, Shadows. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A clump of creosote among dunes shadowed by early morning light.

This photograph comes from nearly one year ago on the 2019 edition of my annual early spring visits to Death Valley National Park. (There will be no spring visit this year, what with shelter-in-place orders and so forth — fortunately I was there in January.) The late March and early April time frame is often ideal for wildflowers and for splitting the difference between winter cold and the unbearable heat that arrives in spring. Is there a downside? Yes. Lots of other people seem to have the same idea, and the number increases every year.

The sand dunes are an unending source of photographic opportunities. I prefer to photograph them either very early in the morning or during the sunset to early dusk time periods, when the light goes through remarkable transitions. My favorites include the subtly colored dusk hours and the moments of first/last direct sun, when the light is warmly colored and there are transitory shadows. I usually steer clear of the most popular ares of the dunes, generally finding more interesting things out along their boundaries.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | 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: Structures and Objects

Silos And Shadows, Morning

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Silos And Shadows, Morning
California Central Valley silos in morning light.

Silos And Shadows, Morning. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

California Central Valley silos in morning light.

This photograph might serve as an example of an approach I sometimes take when photographing, especially when the subjects I had in mind may not present themselves or at least not present well. Basically, I have a backup plan, and I’m happy to switch gears and improvise if my primary subject either isn’t working or isn’t at its best. That was the case on this morning when I had traveled to the Central Valley to photograph birds. I did that, but then I decided to head down a narrow country lane looking for whatever I could find, and in this case the search uncovered some agricultural subjects.

It is always a question whether to stay with the subject you came for or to switch to another target of opportunity. To be honest, I cannot recommend one over the other — I do both, and it is hard to rationalize why I choose one over the other. Sometimes, quite honestly, it is mainly a hunch. If you stick with a subject that isn’t quite working you may eventually find a way to make it work, or perhaps that light you hoped for will appear. On the other hand, you could just as easily wait and find that nothing changes!

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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