Tag Archives: face

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel

Door Knocker

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Door Knocker
Door knocker, Siena, Italy

Door knocker. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Door knocker, Siena, Italy

We had been to Siena once before — on a very quick day trip from the Chianti hills. Our time there was, literally, only hours. My recollection is that we parked, walked in from the west, headed to and then past Il Campo, briefly visited the front of the main cathedral, grabbed a bite to eat… and left. It was just enough to leave us very intrigued by what we saw and determined to go back and spend more time. On this 2023 visit we finally were able to do that, staying in the city long enough to explore.

There are lots of intriguing details in Siena, even by comparison to other places in Italy that share this attribute. I just happened to notice this door knocker — one of two on a matched pair of doors — as we walked up a narrow street. The figure is impressive, but almost seems more likely to scare away visitors than to encourage them to knock!

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: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Sports, Photographs: Yosemite

Climbing Rescue

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Climging Rescue
A helicopter hovers next to a cliff above climbers in Yosemite Valley.

Climbing Rescue. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A helicopter hovers next to a cliff above climbers in Yosemite Valley.

If you visit places like Yosemite often enough, the sight of helicopters doing rescue operations almost becomes a normal part of the experience. I saw this helicopter parked in a Valley meadow, surrounded by climbing rangers and crew, but I didn’t stop. Instead I went up the road a bit to photograph some spring trees. But soon I heard the thing take off and saw it rise up toward this face on the far side of the Valley, so I quickly swapped in a long lens and make a few photographs as it ferried climbers back and forth.

I’ve watched a few of these operations over my years visiting the park. We once witnessed a rescue off the top of a dome near Toulumne in electrical storm conditions, and a few years ago we got buzzed by a helicopter looking for a missing person in the backcountry. But the drama of “parking” the helicopter so close to the rock face caught my attention here. I kept thinking that it was great that there was no wind! If you look closely you can see a group of climbers on a ledge in the shaded vertical crack system near the right side of the photograph.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Meadow, Trees, and Cascade

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Meadow, Trees, and Cascade
The view across a Yosemite Valley meadow toward a spring cascade below Glacier Point.

Meadow, Trees, and Cascade. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view across a Yosemite Valley meadow toward a spring cascade below Glacier Point.

To some extent, this is arguably a “record shot” that documents this year’s extraordinary spring runoff in Yosemite Valley. This winter set records for total snowfall (and snow water content) thought the Sierra, and once spring warmth arrived it began to melt, sending torrents of water downstream. When I visited the Valley in late May, there was water everywhere: meadows had become lakes, trails were flooded, and water was cascading down cliff faces in locations that are usually dry.

This view looks across the Valley to a particularly interesting section of its walls. The main mass of rock is just to the west of the Glacier Point Apron, in an area of fractured rock that drains the watershed above. Typically you might see a small trickle of water here, but at this point there was a full-on stream winding back and forth down this face toward the Valley.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs

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Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs
A green springtime meadow near the base of steep Yosemite Valley granite cliffs.

Forest, Meadow, and Cliffs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A green springtime meadow near the base of steep Yosemite Valley granite cliffs.

While clear, sharp-edged light and atmosphere are great when I want to show detail and/or photograph something a long ways off, soft and low-contrast light with a bit of haze is often more evocative. That’s what you see in this photograph, made near the end of the day as the sun was low, its light filtered through afternoon haze and muting the colors just a bit.

This is not exactly an iconic spot in Yosemite Valley, but it is one that I often return to. Depending upon the season and the conditions there may be a variety of opportunities here. There’s a small meadow with a seasonal pond (flooded right now!) and it provides views of the surrounding cliffs. Forest surrounds the meadow and ascends the lower cliffs. And even though a Valley roadway isn’t far away, a short walk here brings quiet.

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 | Twitter | 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.