Tag Archives: fractured

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Fractured Stone

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Fractured Stone
Detail of a section of fractured Sierra Nevada rock, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Fractured Stone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail of a section of fractured Sierra Nevada rock, Ansel Adams Wilderness.

At some point on almost any Sierra Nevada backcountry trip I get the bug to photograph rocks — just plain rocks. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of them in these mountains, and their variety is astounding. I’m no geologist — I’m one of those folks who refers to too many things as “granite” — but I’m a bit of a connoisseur of fractures, stains, lichen, colors, and junctures between different materials.

Earlier on this backcountry visit I had realized that some outcroppings very close to our camp were full of interesting patterns, and I made a mental note to spend some time among them. A few days later, not having any other pressing subjects to photograph, I spent an evening walking slowly among these formations.

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, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Fractured Pinnacles

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Fractured Pinnacles
Fractured Sierra Nevada pinnacles near Whitney Trail Crest.

Fractured Pinnacles. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Fractured Sierra Nevada pinnacles near Whitney Trail Crest.

Over years and decades of travel in the Sierra high country I have continued to notice new things — it is impossible to know everything about such a complex and rich subject. The highest points always appealed to me, and I remember the first time that I really noticed the rugged terrain of the highest ridges. It was on my first traverse of Forester Pass, the entrance to the monumental terrain of the Upper Kern drainage. The pass is a land of broken rock, and as I crossed it I took note of the higher ridges stretching away.

This scene is from another busy area of the high country — generally speaking, the Sierra Crest running south from Mount Whitney. The High Sierra Trail rises to this crest and from there a lateral trail follows the ridge out to the summit of Mount Whitney. I recall making this photograph quite a few years ago and, at the time, thinking about what I wanted it to look like. But other images were more pressing, and it sat in the archive until I recently produced this monochromatic rendition.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Coastal Rocks

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Coastal Rocks
Rugged and fractured rocks on the California Pacific Ocean coast.

Coastal Rocks. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Rugged and fractured rocks on the California Pacific Ocean coast.

If you have been following along recent youly have likely figured out by now that I was fascinated by this formation at Point Lobos State Reserve. In fact, I was so fascinated by it that I not only turned my attention away from the larger landscape, but I ended up photographing this these rocks from three different angles and positions.

I got up close for this version, setting up the camera just in front of the subject and angling the camera slightly upwards. I found the large patterns of fractured rock interesting, but I also liked some of the smaller features that require a closer look — the odd dimpling effect on the surface of the rock, the bits and pieces of ocean life, and so on. The soft light coming through a deck of coastal clouds helped reveal some of these details.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

At the Shoreline

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At the Shoreline
A peninsula of fractured and worn rocks next to the tidal zone.

At the Shoreline. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A peninsula of fractured and worn rocks next to the tidal zone.

As I wrote in another recent post, what I thought would be a quick visit to this cove turned into a rather longer one. As I started my visit I wasn’t sure that I would photograph here, but once I started looking around I found plenty of interesting subjects. After well over an hour I finally tore myself away to go photograph something else!

The location encompasses a shallow cove lined with rocks, some of which are flat and gradually head under the water, and others that are part of a small peninsula blocking the area from the open ocean. The intertidal zone is full of fascinating things — living creatures, pebbles left behind by the surf, and a pavement of upended strata. In this photograph I backed off some distance and put a long lens on the camera so that I could include the foreground boulders along with a small portion of the flat area and the rocky wall of the peninsula beyond.

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.