Tag Archives: formations

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sunlight, Escalante River Canyon

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Sunlight, Escalante River Canyon
A beam of sunlight on trees and red rock in the canyon of the Escalante River.

Sunlight, Escalante River Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A beam of sunlight on trees and red rock in the canyon of the Escalante River.

On this trip eastward across Southern Utah we came across this lovely section of the Escalante River at just about the perfect moment. We had just made our obligatory stop at the Kiva Koffeehouse — perhaps the most improbably-located such place I’ve ever visited — and were back on the road, making the short descent to the crossing of this river before the road rises to along Calf Creek to pass along Hell’s Backbone. It was October, and the trees along the valley were just turning autumn colors, and clouds were sending beams of light across the landscape.

I’ve visited and photographed along the Escalante several times, generally walking down into the canyon and wandering slowly, my preferred mode. Yet driving though this section always seems magical, too, and every time I cross the river here I think of those other places I’ve visited along its route. Heck, I’m thinking of them again as I write this!

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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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Mustard Canyon

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Mustard Canyon
Evening light on the Mustard Canyon area in Death Valley National Park.

Mustard Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening light on the Mustard Canyon area in Death Valley National Park.

This is a place that I photograph from time to time. It isn’t far from spots where I camp, so it isn’t unusual to pass by as I head out or return from some more distant location. A few years ago I stopped and climbed a low hill there late in the day, found it magical, and the hill — which might seem like nothing special to others — is one of my little personal spots in Death Valley. From here the panorama is expansive in all directions, and the slight elevation of the place lets me see even farther.

The view here begins in the foreground with the Mustard Canyon area. The mustard part of the name makes sense — in the ideal light the formations are strikingly yellow. The canyon part seems a bit of a stretch. I’m sure that there is a route followed by water heading out into the valley, but it seems more like a wash than a canyon. The rugged foreground, filled with alternating yellow and reddish material, eventually gives way to giant alluvial fans, and in the far distance the terrain rises to the Amargosa Mountains.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Eroded Strata

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Eroded Strata
Colorful eroded desert strata, Death Valley.

Eroded Strata. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Colorful eroded desert strata, Death Valley.

Yes, I am still working the morning light on these beautiful eroded formations from Death Valley. (For anyone not already in the loop, I have posted quite a few photographs from this area recently.) The area is remarkable for the diversity of its formations — mostly water-eroded hills but also, here and there, a few rockier structures. The colors make it special, though. In most light they are quite subtle, but at the early and late edges of the day, when the color of the light is warmer, the colors are easier to see.

Timing was the trick for this photograph. I wanted the warm colors of the earliest possible light, but a hill behind my position blocked the light until the sun had risen just a bit. Perhaps you can still make out just a bit of the shadow remnant across positions of the bottom of the scene.

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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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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Morning Ride in the Badlands

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Morning Ride in the Badlands
A solo bicyclist on a morning ride along a curving gravel road past badlands.

Morning Ride in the Badlands. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A solo bicyclist on a morning ride along a curving gravel road past badlands.

Years ago I was a very (very!) enthusiastic cyclist. I don’t ride any more, but I still have three bicycles — one of the early StumpJumper mountain bikes, a touring/commuting bike with a handmade British frame, and road-racing bike (also with a hand-built frame). Although I have not ridden in Death Valley, I can surely identify with the experience of the person in this photograph.

I had arrived in this area early, and I had been making photographs since before sunrise. Although a gravel road passes through here and the spot is not far from some well-known locations, I had the place almost to myself. I saw almost no one else as I worked. It was windless and still and so quiet… and that passing of a single cyclist was enough to interrupt the mood! But not enough to keep me from photographing him as he passed through this section of s-curves, heading toward more distant hills in this lovely 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 and Amazon.

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.