Tag Archives: foliage

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

Forest, White Trunks

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Forest, White Trunks
White trunks stand out from a background of dense vegetation, Redwood National Park.

Forest, White Trunks. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White trunks stand out from a background of dense vegetation, Redwood National Park.

Several days ago I shared a similar photograph from this same location, a dense line of forest along a roadway in Northern California’s Redwood National Park. I noted that the previous photograph was of a location that I’m mildly obsessed with, a place where I stop every time I pass that way. And to prove it, here is a second photograph of the same subject — and, no, I’m not done yet!

Perhaps because the roadway opens the forest to the sky a bit more, unlike the towering redwood forests which block light very efficiently, these smaller trees seem to have really taken off. They form a dense and impenetrable wall of green that is really only broken by the vertical forms of the mostly-white trunks. Wandering along the edge of this forest, it almost seems like there are compositions everywhere I look.

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

Bluedicks Flower

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Bluedicks Flower
Springtime bluedicks flower in the Central California oak-grasslands.

Bluedicks Flower. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Springtime bluedicks flower in the Central California oak-grasslands.

This is a surprisingly common wildflower in my part of California, and in the springtime I frequently run into them all around the Bay Area on hikes, typically in warmer and sunnier areas. The flowers are striking — the cluster sits on the end of a long, slender step, and the colors can stand out against the other foliage. Technically, I suppose that I should tie “flowers” rather than “flower” here, since it is a cluster of smaller individual flowers. The unusual name apparently comes from a shorthand for the Latin name of the plant, though I have recently been told that the plant has been reclassified and that it should now be “blue dips.”

Although I like to travel to do my outdoor photography, I also spend a lot of time in the field not far from where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, often hiking some of the nearby trails. (In fact, I’ve been doing more of that recently as I try to work myself into condition for an upcoming backcountry trip by hiking hilly routes. It gets harder every year!) Although I had hiked the trails where I photographed this specimen, I had not really paid enough attention to the wildflowers there until recently… when I discovered several large populations of this flower.

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

Redwood Forest Floor Foliage

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Redwood Forest Floor Foliage
Broadleaf starflower and redwood sorrel in the deep shade of a Northern California redwood forest.

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

Broadleaf starflower and redwood sorrel in the deep shade of a Northern California redwood forest.

There is a route in Redwood National Park that surprises me — because there is hardly ever anyone there, even though it dead-ends in a beautiful forest of old growth trees near an intersection of several trails, in a place with many interesting things to see. I visit the spot every time I go there. Perhaps the small number of visitors is due to a lack of named icons, the out of the way location, and not a whole lot of publicity. My first visit was an accident — a moment of “I wonder what is up that way?”

The last time I was there it was midday, not necessarily the ideal time to photograph in the forest. The redwood forest is often quite a dark place, and little sun manages to find an angling path through the trees to reach the ground. But in the middle of the day the sun does make it to the forest floor, and the great contrasts between shadow and light are a challenge. On this visit there were scattered clouds passing above the forest, so I found my compositions and then waited patiently, eyeing the sky for the next cloud that might soften the light.

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

Edge of the Forest

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Edge of the Forest
Deciduous trees at the edge of a forest, Redwood National Park.

Edge of the Forest. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Deciduous trees at the edge of a forest, Redwood National Park.

This photograph comes from a section of forest that always surprises and pleases me when I visit Redwood National Park. In a place where the giant coast redwoods are everywhere… here there aren’t any! Instead these densely-spaced deciduous trees with their thick green foliage line both sides of the road. Although the spot is not marked as an iconic location, there are always others stopped there when I arrive.

Part of the attraction of subjects like this is the challenge of finding some sort of logical composition in all of the extremely complex detail of trunks, branches, and leaves. It is there, but I often have to look for it. Typically I spot something that seems like it might anchor the photograph… and then as I look over the scene I discover some element that doesn’t fit or a spot that is too dark or otherwise seems empty. At the same time, I don’t want it to be too perfect — without some formal tension the scene can easily become completely static.

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 | 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.

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