Tag Archives: green

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Morning, Temblor Range

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Morning, Temblor Range
Morning light on spring-green hills of the Temblor Range

Morning, Temblor Range. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on spring-green hills of the Temblor Range.

Many landscapes appeal to me, but if you want to see geology laid bare I think the best places are those where few things grow, or at least where the plant life is so small and sparse as to permit a direct view of the land itself — places above timber line or arid places. This location, the Carrizo Plain, is not the driest place in California, but it is hot enough in the warm season to turn the place brown, and there are virtually no trees here.

The geology and geography here are worthy of attention. The most obvious feature is the Temblor Range of mountains lying to the northeast. These mountains mark the mighty San Andreas earthquake fault — its line sit at their base and the effects of its motion may be see in many places. A second feature, at least for me, is the immensity of the landscape. It is one of those places where distances are deceiving, and what looks like a quick jaunt across the valley could add up to nearly ten miles. On the morning I made this photograph the valley had been full of post-rain fog when the first light arrived. As it cleared it left a certain combination of both clarity and softness in the 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.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Spring Growth, Stormy Sky

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Spring Growth, Stormy Sky
New spring grass and flowers on a hillside beneath a stormy sky

Spring Growth, Stormy Sky. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring grass and flowers on a hillside beneath a stormy sky.

This scene somewhat took me by surprise. When I went to the Carrizo I was expecting to experience sunny, dry conditions, and even a bit of warmth. But as I approached I drove through occasional light showers, and soon after I arrived at my campground it began to rain lightly. (This forced a decision – sleep in the back of my 4Runner or set up my tent. The prospect of having to repack a wet tent the next morning forced the decision.) I set up my minimal campsite — which mainly consisted of putting out a few objects to make it clear that the site was occupied — and then I headed out to make late afternoon and evening photographs.

As I headed down the gravel road it was clear that the afternoon weather was going to be “interesting.” At times it was sunny, but then moments later a shower would arrive and drop some rain. As I drove past this flower-covered hill, the sky behind it was covered in very dark clouds, so I stopped to make a photograph emphasizing the contrast. As I set up, beams of sunlight passed over the foreground scene, lighting it up against the darker and more dramatic sky.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Spring Bloom, Temblor Range

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Spring Bloom, Temblor Range
Spring wildflowers carpet the Carrizo Plain and the Temblor Range

Spring Bloom, Temblor Range. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring wildflowers carpet the Carrizo Plain and the Temblor Range.

When I first looked out over this section of the Carrizo Plain and saw the blue coloration along the lowest area I initially thought that I might be seeing one of the shallow, seasonal lakes that forms in this playa-like terrain. The color was almost right, and the purple-blue color had the shape of a large pond. But something looked wrong about it, and when I found a higher and closer vantage point it became obvious that I was looking at a very large and very dense field of Phacelia blooms.

I was probably there just a few days before the peak of wildflower color, and it almost seemed to me that I could see the difference in the extent and intensity of the bloom from one day to the next. Some of the largest displays are in the flat terrain right down on the plain, but higher up in the surrounding mountains there were also brilliant patches of yellow flowers. Some of them are visible in the creases and folds of the Temblor Range on the far side of this valley.

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.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Drifting Fog, Hills

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Drifting Fog, Hills
Dawn fog pours across arid California hills

Drifting Fog, Hills. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn fog pours across arid California hills.

Sometimes I end up completely throwing out my photographic plans for the day. When I awoke in the pre-dawn darkness on this day, I intended to head down from camp to a plain and lower hills where I would photograph spring wildflowers. I fixed coffee and had a bowl of cereal in the dark, loaded up my vehicle, tried to sneak out of camp without bothering the “normal” people who sleep in, and heading down the gravel road. As I drove it began to look like the valley was, to my complete surprise, completely socked in by thick fog.

Before entering the upper limit of the fog I stopped at a turn on a hillside from which there was a panoramic view. Far to the southeast I saw that the fog was even in the mountains, and that gentle morning breeze was apparently pushing it up and over a series of high ridges just as the first reddish light of dawn intensified. I quickly put my wildflower photography ideas on hold and went to work photographing the ephemeral fog and 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.

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