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Grassy Shoreline, Talus Fields

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Grassy Shoreline, Talus Fields
Grasses grow along the marshy shoreline of an alpine lake backed by a glaciated terrain and a huge talus field

Grassy Shoreline, Talus Fields. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Grasses grow along the marshy shoreline of an alpine lake backed by a glaciated terrain and a huge talus field

To illustrate just how long it took the sun to reach our camp near this subalpine lake, by the time I made this photograph I had already been up long enough to walk the length of the lake, make many photographs, and walk nearly all the way back to camp! Sunrise was actually much earlier, but the very tall ridge (see in the distance in the photograph) blocked the light for the first few hours of the day. If you look carefully you may notice the upper slopes are softly lit by light reflected from peaks on the other side of the valley, behind and to the right of my camera position.

In this extended morning twilight the quality of the place was special. It was quiet and still — the water on the lake was still mirror-like. Soft light gently illuminated the scene, and a few subjects that were more colorful stood out — as seen in the early autumn colors of some of the foreground grasses. It was a time to walk slowly and alone along the shoreline, taking my time to enjoy and photograph this quiet landscape.

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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” 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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Talus, Cliff, Shoreline

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Talus, Cliff, Shoreline
A talus field of giant boulders tumbles to the edge of an alpine lake at the foot of a cliff

Talus, Cliff, Shoreline. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A talus field of giant boulders tumbles to the edge of an alpine lake at the foot of a cliff

There are multiple ways to look at this photograph. One is to think of it as a record of a specific place at a particular time. That is perhaps important to me and to the others with whom I shared this week in the Sierra Nevada backcountry, but I think it is far less important to others who may view it. Another way to view it is as an example of a particular kind of landscape — the subalpine terrain of the eastern slope of this mountain range — and to note the cliff face at the left, the base of the talus field that reaches to the shoreline, and the lake itself. Sierra travelers probably have their own collection of memories of similar places.

A third way to view it is to try to step back from the seeming objective reality of location and subject, and to try to look at it as a structure of colors and forms and textures. This isn’t always easy, and it perhaps it isn’t for every viewer… though the elements mirrored in the reflective surface of the lake may encourage a viewer to try. In fact, this gets a little closer to how I see such things and such places. Yes, I do respond to them a real locations and as examples of the Sierra terrain I love. However, in most cases that isn’t enough for a photograph, at least not to me. I’m always looking for shape and texture and color and relationships in these subjects. (Of the recent photographs of talus slopes, water, and soft light, this may be my current favorite.)

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Blue Hour Talus, Cliff and Lake

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Blue Hour Talus, Cliff and Lake
A talus field extends across the shore of an alpine lake

Blue Hour Talus, Cliff and Lake. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A talus field extends across the shore of an alpine lake

During my recent September backcountry expedition to photograph areas of the John Muir Wilderness, we were fortunate to find ourselves in a place with lots of rocky terrain — tall peaks above, mountain slopes all around, talus fields leading into alpine lakes. The lower Sierra country with it forests and gentle steams is wonderful, but I really love the higher and more rugged country, where stunted trees grow among tarns and small lakes, and where the landscape is more and more rocky as you ascend.

Near the lake at which we camped a gigantic talus field descended from the nearby ridge. At first glance such things can appear almost random and undifferentiated, being the rock equivalent of beach sand. But in the right light, looked at in the right way, and especially with a smooth lake surface to reflect their forms, structural patterns and flows begin to appear from the complexity of this landscape. In direct sunlight these rocks can be almost too harsh to photograph, with huge contacts between black shadows and brilliant reflective highlights. But during the morning and evening “blue hour” periods the light is softened, filling in shadows, and adding a different sort of coloration to the scene.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Fancy Wheat Field Bakery Inc

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Fancy Wheat Field Bakery Inc
A bakery delivery truck parked in San Francisco

Fancy Wheat Field Bakery Inc. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bakery delivery truck parked in San Francisco

This photograph takes a step away from the recent images from the natural world of the Sierra Nevada. Hey, I don’t just photograph rocks, water, and trees! (Don’t worry — more Sierra photographs are on their way.) The location is on the loose boundary between North Beach and Chinatown in San Francisco, and at neighborhood intersections like this you can often see a wonderfully wild mixture of visual and other cues.

There is so much that caught my attention about this truck — a truck that you could easily just ignore. How about the name of the baking company? “Fancy Wheat Field Bakery.” Is the bakery fancy, or is it the wheat field? And the graphical elements on the side of the truck are exuberant — while colors, bold shapes, little negative space. And further signifying the cultural richness of this part of San Francisco, behind the truck we see a Chinese salon and “Capo’s” Italian Dinners.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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