Tag Archives: evening

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Waterfall and Trees, Spring Evening

April 29, 2018 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Evening light on Yosemite Falls and meadow trees

I have had my eyes on this composition for some time. The photograph is, in many ways, a pretty straightforward thing, and it certainly doesn’t require any logistical difficulty or long hikes. However, there are a few variables in play that are not entirely under the photographer’s control, and timing is critical — as to the season, the time of day, and the momentary conditions. The green of that group of trees is briefly at its most intense for a period in the spring. As in so many photographs, the momentary effect of light is critical and ephemeral. Two days earlier I had photographed this same scene, with results I liked but not as much as what happened here.

Speaking of that earlier photograph of the same subject, I had not made a firm decision to re-photograph the scene on the evening when I made this version. I was thinking about several potential subjects on this final evening in the Valley for this trip, but it was the infamous Yosemite Valley traffic that put me here at the right moment. I had parked in a day use lot while I went on an afternoon hike, returning to my vehicle in time to finalize my evening plans. The traffic was completely stopped due to the combination of large numbers of spring visitor and construction work to the west. So I headed across the Valley and back to the east, looping around towards this spot. Some distance away the traffic stopped completely once again, so I simply pulled to the side, loaded my equipment on my back abandoned (temporarily!) my vehicle, and started walking. I could see good light ahead through the trees, but as I arrived some clouds blocked it. But since I wasn’t going to have much luck trying to drive elsewhere I simply decided to stick around and watch. Eventually there was a short break in the clouds, and a brief moment of lovely light illuminated these trees. And then the show was over.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Looking West

April 28, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Looking across Sierra Nevada foothills toward California’s Central Valley at dusk

I didn’t intend the photograph to be such, but it could be at least a bit metaphorical. I made in near the end of my period as a Yosemite Renaissance artist-in-residence, at opportunity that provided me with a total of about two weeks to photograph in the park, mostly in the Valley. (More of the photography from this work will be seen in an exhibit opening at Gallery 5 in Oakhurst in June — stay tuned for the details!) Hence the metaphorical “sunset” on the photography for this project (unless I manage to squeeze in one more quick visit next week!) and “looking west” toward my home in the San Francisco Bay Area, from which I post this image.

I suppose this photograph is also a bit more evidence — as if it were needed! — that Yosemite is far more than just the Valley, as incomparable as that area of the park is. I made the photograph on my evening “commute” between the Valley and my lodging elsewhere in the park, and by this evening I had already selected the location as a likely prospect. Often when I’m in the park my orientation is to the highest peaks lying on its eastern boundary along the Sierra crest. But on this evening I was looking the other way, towards layers of foothills descending toward California’s Great Central Valley to the west.

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, Photographs: Southern California

Dunes, Afternoon Light, Blowing Sand

April 24, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Late afternoon light and blowing dust above Death Valley sand dunes

Wind and blowing dust on sand dunes can produce an otherworldly and spectacular scene. They are also very difficult to work in — tough on equipment and tough on photographers! (I recently read some advice about entering the dunes during serious sand storms. Basically, the recommendation was, “don’t.” For the stubborn, who would do it anyway, the text continued with a recommendation to wear protective clothing, eye protection, and some kind of mask — perhaps towels soaked in water. Fun, eh?) The conditions on this occasion were not really that bad, probably not even as challenging as they might appear to be in the photograph, but it was an afternoon of blowing wind and sand.

We were in a section of low dunes, a distance away from the popular areas where the challenge seems to be to surmount the highest dune. In these lower areas there is plenty to see and photograph, and I usually prefer them to the less accessible and higher areas. Here there are plenty of plants growing in the same, and the more intimate landscape of hills and valleys provides endless subjects. As I was working that terrain I happened to look west toward the late day sun — barely out of the frame — to see the complex patters leading away on the closer dunes, the dark shape of the more distant tall dune, and the light shining through the wind-blown sand in the distance.

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

Kit Fox Hills, Amargosa Range

April 22, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Amargosa Range mountains rise behind the Kit Fox Hills, Death Valley

These low, deeply eroded, and colorful (in the right light) Death Valley hills lie at the western base of the Amargosa Range near the start of the road heading north toward the Scotty’s Castle area. I recently read that they may be the remnants of an old earthquake fault along the eastern side of Death Valley, marking a division between the rising mountains and the sediment-filled valley. I have walked along the base of these hills, though I still need to find the time to more extensively explore their rugged and eroded landscape.

Late in the day they intercept almost the very last sunlight to reach the valley floor before sunset. With that in mind, I have photographed them many times, often from a good distance away across the valley. That was the case on this evening, when I found a spot elevated above the valley floor and climbed to its summit to watch the late-day light. It was one of those evenings when the light was unpredictable. There were clouds to the west above the Cottonwood mountains, which can turn out to be either a good thing or a bad thing. The clouds may light up at sunset and the minutes just after… or they may simply block the sun and “turn out the lights” on sunset photography. It looked like the latter might turn out to be the case as I watched the sun descend toward a band of thicker clouds. But there was a small gap between the base of the clouds and the top of the mountains, and the sunlight shone through this gap for a few minutes, casting beautiful soft light on these hills.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: evening

Waterfall and Trees, Spring Evening

Looking West

Dunes, Afternoon Light, Blowing Sand

Kit Fox Hills, Amargosa Range

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.