Tag Archives: evening

Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Empty Lot, Paris #2

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Empty Lot, Paris #2
An empty lot with graffiti in Paris, a 2022 rendition.

Empty Lot, Paris #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

An empty lot with graffiti in Paris, a 2022 rendition.

Almost any time I open up an old photograph for some reason other than pure curiosity — and sometimes for that reason, too — I reconsider it and make some minor adjustments that seem like improvements. That might seem odd in today’s world of digital post-processing and inkjet printing. Back in the film era, every print was a unique rendition, the result of physical acts in the darkroom during the printing process. It was literally impossible to do what is the norm today — to make every print exactly the same as the others. All of this is a long way of saying that I don’t see why an early version of a photograph should be the final say on it.

Recently I re-opened this photograph, made a few years back on an evening walk around the Montmartre area in Paris. It was surprising to find this empty lot in a crowded area and to note that it appears to have been empty for some time. There’s a lot going on in the scene, but that blue portrait catches my attention.

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: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks

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Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks
The view from an alpine wilderness lake overlooks high peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada.

Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The view from an alpine wilderness lake overlooks high peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada.

Experiencing the high country brings all sorts of rewards — the thrill of high peaks, the beauty of a summer meadow, the (mostly) joy of traversing forests and crossing creeks, and much more. Many of these are immediately accessible, and you can enjoy them just by getting out of your car and walking a little. Some take a bit longer, perhaps requiring an overnight stay away from roads. Still others only come after a relatively long time on the trail — long enough to almost forget that there was another life before you started walking.

Some of these experiences are, at least for me, both remarkable and a bit difficult to put into words. This evening just west of the Southern Sierra crest was one of those times. I was part of a small group of friends who had grown comfortable backpacking together over the years. We were nine days out on a trans-Sierra trip, and we had fully settled into the routines of the trail. In the morning we would get up very early and ascend the highest peak in the range before making the 7000′ descent to the trailhead and the “real world.” But on this evening there was nothing more important to do than wander slowly around this lake and gaze at distant ridges as the day came to an end.

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

Dunes, Evening Sky

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Dunes, Evening Sky
Evening sky above trackless sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes, Evening Sky. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Evening sky above trackless sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

On our late-March to these sand dunes we arrived late in the day under sky that was starting to fill with high clouds in the west. At times the clouds were thick enough to block the light and lower the contrast to an extent that seemed “beyond subtle.” But as the clouds moved thinner areas passed in front of the sun, and this was enough to give the light at least a bit of directionality. In clearer skies, the sand here would have been extremely bright, and the background sky with thin clouds would have appeared much darker.

In the end, I came away with some files that held enough contrast to work with in post, where I could focus attention on the variations in light and color on the curved dunes. By moving close to the base of the dunes I was able to angle the camera upwards and eliminate everything from the background except for 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.

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

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

Evening Dunes

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Evening Dunes
Low dunes in soft evening side-light, Death Valley National Park.

Evening Dunes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Low dunes in soft evening side-light, Death Valley National Park.

Rather than being the result of a carefully planned and scheduled shoot, this photograph was a last-minute photograph of opportunity. We had spent the day in a remote location in Death Valley National Park, at the end of a long and rough backcountry road, where we had parked and hiked a few miles further into a canyon. The light in deep canyons tends to be best while the sun is still high in the sky, so we finished in the late afternoon and then drove out. We decided to stop for an early dinner and not worry about evening photography.

We finished dinner and as walked back to the vehicle it occurred to me that there was just enough light to squeeze in a bit of photography if we hurried to a nearby spot. We immediately parked and set up equipment as the last direct sunlight began to fade on the landscape below. I exposed three frames before the light was gone, and the soft light enhances the sensuous quality of all of those sand formations.

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 | 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.