Tag Archives: geology

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Blue Stone

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Blue Stone
Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

Blue Stone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail of fractured blue stone with colors intensified by light from overcast sky.

At some point on almost any backcountry trip I end up spending time looking at things that I might not notice and photograph at first. The initial focus is often the grand landscape of mountains and valleys and trees and rivers — but eventually I focus on the more “intimate” aspects of the landscape. Among these are the infinitely varied patterns and colors of rock, miniature landscapes of textures and fractures and more.

While walking back and forth between our camp and a nearby high point from which I photographed the larger landscape I had noticed several bands of interesting rock and made a mental note to return to them. A few days into our stay that moment arrived and I spent a few hours wandering slowly through this area, looking intently and finding more to photograph than I had initially seen. The intense color of these rocks is partially due to their innate blue tint and partly due to photographing them when they were in shadows.

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

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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.

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

Patterns in Rock

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Patterns in Rock
Complex patterns in rocks along the California coast.

Patterns in Rock. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Complex patterns in rocks along the California coast.

If you are hoping for a scientific explanation of what you are seeing in this photograph, I’m not qualified to provide it. I’ve visited this little area of small geographic wonders at Point Lobos for decades, and much of it remains a mystery to me. I know bits and pieces of information, but far from the whole story.

I find something new every time I visit this spot, even after all of these years. This little vignette impresses me with its variety of features. The underlying rock seems to be some kind of sandstone, in vertically oriented layers that must have been uplifted and distorted at some point. Other rocks are embedded in it, and in this spot there is this odd bit of angular patterns.

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.