Tag Archives: filoli

Photographs: Still Life, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Concrete Wall Detail

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Concrete Wall Detail
Shadows from nearby branches fall across a crached and weathered concrete wall.

Concrete Wall Detail. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Shadows from nearby branches fall across a crached and weathered concrete wall.

The garden where we recently photographed — where I made my recent flower photographs — is on the grounds of a historic San Francisco Peninsula estate that was once the home of some very wealthy people. Today the facility is open to the public and features tours of the mansion and the extensive gardens. This detail photograph was made in a patio area at the mansion.

Like many photographers I am fascinated by patterns, forms, and textures. I’m sure that this section of concrete wall was once, long ago, a new and perfect thing. But it has weathered in the intervening years. There are patched cracks, a few missing edges here and there, and it appears that lichen is starting to grow in places. The darker slanted lines are shadows of branches above the wall.

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

Emerging Tulip

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Emerging Tulip
A tulip bud begins to open.

Emerging Tulip. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A tulip bud begins to open.

This is another tulip photograph, though this one is at a much earlier point in its development. We recently visited a large garden that features lots of tulips at this time every season. But this year they seemed delayed a bit, perhaps as a result of the recent cold and rainy weather. Some were blooming, but far more were still in the pre-bloom phase like this one.

Tulips are obviously quite beautiful when they blossom, but I’m also attracted to this pre-blossom stage when they are mostly green and just starting to hint at the color that will soon appear. If you look closely you can see just a tiny bit of color near the very tip.

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: Still Life, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Lattice Fence

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Lattice Fence
Detail view of lattice fence.

Lattice Fence. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail view of lattice fence.

Believe it or not, I have been trying to photograph this bit of fence of several years. It isn’t that it has been a major goal for me, but every time we visit this place I end up trying to make a picture of it. It is one of those subjects that seems like it should be simple to photograph, but then it turns out to be anything but. Part of the issue is that the symmetry that attracts me to its form creates some compositional issues.

I’m more pleased with the version I came up with on this visit. I bypassed some color challenges (the colors aren’t exactly striking) by going with a monochromatic rendition. Some thin clouds softened the light — although the subject is under trees, often there is either a bit of direct light on it or, worse, on the stuff in the background. And this time that background was in soft, deep shade.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Blue Hyacinth

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Blue Hyacinth
Macro photography of blue hyacinth flowers.

Blue Hyacinth. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Macro photography of blue hyacinth flowers.

While I like photographing flowers, I’m no expert on the plant world or flowers. In fact, I have a heck of a time keeping their names straight! It has always been this way. It has always been the case that I could recognize the appearance of a wildflower, down to the specific spot where I might find it, the week when it would typically bloom, and what else might grow nearby… yet be unable to recall its name. These hyacinth flowers intrigue me… but I didn’t know what they were called!

I did, however, recognize that they are not easy to photograph. Their shape creates challenges regarding depth of field, especially when I try to photograph individual blossoms. If finally occurred to me that, rather than trying to photograph separate flowers, I could photograph from a position directly a above the plant and capture the remarkable patterns produced by the mass of flowers radiating out from the central stem.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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