Tag Archives: floor

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Redwood Forest Foliage

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Redwood Forest Foliage
A lighter-color plant stands out among forest foliage beneath Northern California coast redwoods.

Redwood Forest Foliage. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lighter-color plant stands out among forest foliage beneath Northern California coast redwoods.

While the giant trees are usually the primary factor drawing me to the redwood forests of the California coast, I inevitably find myself distracted by the more intimate world of the forest floor. This is even more true on days when the light is soft and luminous and the shapes and tonalities of this foliage become especially beautiful.

As anyone who follows my photography knows, I’m not always the best source of plant identification information, to say the least. I may know a plant — where it is found, how it grows, what it looks like in different seasons, and more — but quite often I am unsure of what it is called. I did not think about the identify of this beautiful arrangement of leaves as I made the photograph, but in looking it up a few weeks later I’m guessing that it might be salmon berry. Input from more knowledgable people is welcomed! I grew above a deeply shadowed bed of redwood sorrel and other lush plants.

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: Architecture, Photographs: England, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great

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Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
Afternoon light enters through windows at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, London

Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Afternoon light enters through windows at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, London

This photograph comes from the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great (what a wonderful name!) in London, photographed on a visit there way back in 2013. As we often do when traveling in places like this, we came upon this subject essentially by accident. We were walking in the vicinity because we had come to look at something else, paused to eat lunch in a pub, then headed outside with no particular goal in mind, saw an interesting doorway down a street, and went in. “Discovering” things by accident seems to be a theme of my approach to travel.

There are a few other things connected to this photograph. First, it is (obvious from the date of the exposure) another of the lost-but-found photographs uncovered from my old raw files as I work my way through them as a pandemic project. Because of a project that some folks are working on, it is also one that features glass as a subject. Finally, the process of working through the old files has reminded me again that “making” a photograph is very much not an act of clicking shutter buttons. It begins with seeing, then to “capture,” but what happens between that and the existence of a final photograph can be a very long and convoluted process.

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: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Redwood Forest Plants

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Redwood Forest Plants
New growth among the plants growing on the dark forest floor beneath redwood trees

Redwood Forest Plants. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New growth among the plants growing on the dark forest floor beneath redwood trees.

The gigantic trees are, obviously, a primary attraction in Northern California’s remarkable redwood forests. Having been brought up around them, I sometimes forget how unusual and striking they are. Two things remind me. One is when I see someone entering these forests for the first time, not quite believing what they are seeing. Another is when I leave the redwood forest and again see “normal” trees… which now seem very small! One advantage that comes with many years in the redwoods is that it becomes more possible to look away from the huge trees (though they are always in your thoughts) and take in smaller and things, and elements that are more subtle… like these delicate new leaves growing in the shadow of these trees.

As I worked on this photograph I thought about the process of photographing in the landscape. It can be a difficult thing to describe: What am I looking for? What causes me to stop and make a photograph? What is my state of mind when I’m working? Do I work slowly or quickly? (The answer to the last question is, “yes.”) But one thing is certain — the process is more about looking than about photographing. Those who have been with me in such places sometimes report being mildly annoyed by my slow, stop-and-start progress though the landscape. I’m constantly on the lookout for some subject, some light, some juxtaposition of shapes and forms. Most of the time when I spot something and stop… it turns out not to be worthy of a photograph. So I keep looking until I find “it,” whatever “it” is.

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 | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Plants, Redwood Forest Floor

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Plants, Redwood Forest Floor
Lush plants growing beneath redwood trees, Redwood National and State Parks

Plants, Redwood Forest Floor. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Lush plants growing beneath redwood trees, Redwood National and State Parks.

One morning while visiting the Redwood National and State Parks in early June we headed away from the more heavily-visited areas on a hunch, and we ended up in a very quite place where no one else was around. It was an area full of tall trees, plentiful undergrowth, a few rhododendron flowers, and the deep quiet and stillness that characterizes such places. We lingered along a section of trail where there were lots of redwood forest undergrowth plants.

If you haven’t photographed deep in a redwood forest, you would probably be surprised by just how dark it can be, even in the daylight hours. When photographing there I often find myself caught between the need to get enough depth of field (small aperture) and keep a short enough shutter speed to stop the constant slight motion of the plants in subtle breezes. I end up raising ISO and, still, sometimes find myself with shutter speeds measured in seconds! This little grouping was entirely green, of course, but the taller plants were a bit lighter and stood out against the background bed of redwood sorrel.

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 | Facebook | Email

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

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