A few years ago three of us explored a long section of narrow canyon in Utah, looking for photographs in this rich landscape. We started in a broad valley where a stream flowed between low hills, but soon the walls rose and steepened and the valley narrowed, and we found ourselves following a creek. The canyon was alternately wide and then narrow and constricted.
Continue reading Autumn Trees, Canyon Wall
Deserts offer few clues about the scale of the landscape. Unlike forest scenes, where trees often provide a frame of reference, plants often play a lesser role. Even when there are plants it can be unclear from a distance whether they are large trees or small shrubs. Here the inclusion of the human figure clarifies the scale of the grand Utah red rock landscape.
Continue reading Photographer, Canyon Country
Right up front, a few things about this photograph. First, it is not recent — I photographed this scene back in 2014. I have been busy reviewing old raw files recently, and this one came up during that process. Second, unlike some of the others resulting from this review, this is a photograph that I have shared before, albeit in a different form. What you see here is a very different crop from the original, and by eliminating some elements from the original image I think I have significantly changed the effect.
The location is a place far out in theUtah backcountry — not exactly inaccessible, but not easy to get to. I was part of a group of a half dozen photographers who four-wheeled it out there and set up camp for days so that we cold photograph the heck out of the area. Sadly, from what I hear, this tree is no longer living, perhaps having succumbed to a drought and heat.
Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)
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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.
Red Strata. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Overlapping ridges of red strata in the Utah backcountry.
Our plans for this day in Southwest Utah were a bit vague. Initially I had in mind perhaps three or four possible destinations, but recent rainfall (which leads to mud, with its pluses and minuses) convinced me that perhaps a drive on a long, isolated backroad might make more sense than a foray into a deep and narrow canyon. Besides, I knew of at least one canyon along the route that was less likely to be muddy, being a bit wider and shallower. So off we went.
One thing about a couple of photographers driving through a fascinating, beautiful place is that… there are a lot of stops. By the time we got to a decent turn-around point on this drive we realized that it was late enough in the day that we probably wouldn’t have a lot of time to explore on foot on the way back. I made a guess that a particular section of narrow canyon might be easily accessible from our route, though I couldn’t be sure since I had not previously visited that canyon. We stopped, walked a bit, and quickly realized that the entry was a bit more complex than we had in mind. We tried another canyon entrance with similar results — given more time we could have gone in, but time was the one thing we didn’t have. But along the route on the way in I had noticed this impressive are of impressively red and impressively eroded strata, and we had time to stop and photograph it before heading on.
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.