Tag Archives: golden

California Golden Poppies

California Golden Poppies
Two California golden poppies in a field of poppies and spring green

California Golden Poppies. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two California golden poppies in a field of poppies and spring green.

As a California photographer, I suppose that it is my solemn obligation to photograph our state flower, the California Golden Poppy. (Although it is called “golden,” the most common color is actually more orange, and other variations are also possible.) This flower really is found all over the state: in suburban gardens, alongside roadways, in huge oceans of color in a few special places in good years.

To be honest, I photographed these at a botanical garden! I usually photograph them “in the wild,” but this location allowed me to have a somewhat more controlled working environment. For this photograph I got down low, used a relatively large aperture, and let the light come from behind and make the flowers glow a bit.


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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Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers

Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers
Golden Desert Snapdragon blooming in rocky terrain, Death Valley National Park

Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Golden Desert Snapdragon blooming in rocky terrain, Death Valley National Park.

Wildflower photography isn’t typically my main focus, especially in the desert. (An exception has been during one or two “super bloom” years, when there were sufficient wildflowers to make them a major part of the landscape.) However, traveling to such places with my wife, Patricia Emerson Mitchell, has made me much more aware of this component of the desert world. From watching her photograph wildflowers, often using a macro lens, I learned that there are flowers in places that I had regarded as being essentially desolate.

There are several things I like about the desert snapdragon. The very name reminds me of when I was a child, and I was intrigued by the snapdragon flowers that my mother grew in her yard. This desert version is nothing like those yard plants — it seems to pop up suddenly in the most unlikely places, pushing thick green leaves through remarkably rocky terrain and soon sending out these lovely little yellow flowers.


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.


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

California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass

California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass
A California golden poppy flower amidst a field of spring grass

California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A California golden poppy flower amidst a field of spring grass.

Everyone knows that the California Golden Poppy is this state’s “official flower.” I suppose there are two primary reasons. First, the flower’s name connects to California’s gold rush history. Second, these flowers are found all over the state, often in extraordinary abundance, especially during the spring following wet winters — which is just what we are experiencing this year. Visitors looking for these flowers often produce near-mob-scenes at some of the best-known locations. The good news is that you can find the flowers everywhere! I found this one in a place not far from my home where I often hike. But I could have found a fine poppy subject on a short neighborhood walk within five minutes of my home!

Perhaps to the surprise of many who try to photograph them, these flowers pose several distinct challenges — and that’s not counting the challenge of getting yourself down low enough on the ground to get up close. The color is so intense that it is easy to over-expose even when your camera tells you that you haven’t, and the result is blown-out loss of detail. (Hint: Underexpose a bit when photographing the poppies.) A second challenge is that the flowers close and night and only open in the morning when hit by sun — making it tricky to photograph them in the more manageable soft light. You could look for one in the shade… or you could make or carry your own shade, which is what I do. Third, the shape of the flower is a challenge, mainly in the depth-of-field realm. In many cases you want to throw the background out of focus in order to bring attention to the flower. However, because the flower doesn’t have a “flat” side, this tends to make parts of the flower out of focus, too. My solution here was to allow that to happen with the further petals, but to make the nearer, sharp petals the visual focus.


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 | FacebookEmail

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.

Photographing Spring Wildflowers

PattyPhotographingFlowersShellCreek20190401
Patricia Mitchell photographing spring wildflowers at Shell Creek

Photographing Spring Wildflowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Patricia Mitchell photographing spring wildflowers in San Luis Obispo County.

Many, though perhaps not all readers, know that my wife Patricia Emerson Mitchell is also a fine photographer. She photographs many things, but her speciality is the small world, usually seen by means of training her macro lens on flowers and foliage, often with an eye to seeing the shapes and colors in abstract ways.

On our way to Death Valley earlier this spring we took a detour through California hill country where fields of wildflowers were blooming. During most of the year this spot would be dry and brown, but winter rains turn it green, and in wet years like this one we get to see astonishing wildflower blooms.


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 | FacebookEmail

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.