Tag Archives: growth

Central Park, Spring

Central Park, Spring
A meadow and trees in spring, Central Park, Manhattan.

Central Park, Spring. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A meadow and trees in spring, Central Park, Manhattan.

This photograph is evidence. Allow me to explain. We frequently visit New York City, as our sons and their wives live and work there. The running joke is that we always go in the two worst months, August and December. And on every visit they tell us that “you should really come in fall or spring when it is beautiful.” So a few weeks ago I took them up on this and visited at the end of April. You know… spring. It rained almost the entire time. There was thunder and lightning. Roads flooded. Until the last morning.

I had a few hours on my final morning since I didn’t need to get to the airport until afternoon. So I headed toward Central Park and found… sunshine, pleasant temperatures, clear skies, and spring greenery. It was quite pleasant — for a few hours. I headed to the airport and flew back to the West Coast where… it was raining. Someone is playing a cruel joke on me. ;-)


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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Rooted in Stone

Rooted in Stone
A mature tree growing in cracks in a fractured Yosemite cliff.

Rooted in Stone. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A mature tree growing in cracks in a fractured Yosemite cliff.

Even as I work on new photographs, I return to old files to see what I have missed — and there is always something to discover. When I look at photographs long after I made them it seems like I can see them for what they are more than for what I expected them to be. I don’t recall the specific circumstances of making the photograph… and sometimes I don’t remember making it at all!

I know I made this on a very quick swing through Yosemite Valley as we returned from a few days in Oakhurst for the opening of a show. At this point, the specific details of visits to Yosemite Valley tend to blur together, since I’ve visited the place since I was about five years old. How many times total? Scores? Hundreds? I can’t say. But I’m still amazed that trees like this one can grow in such unlikely places.


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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Spring Plants

Spring Plants
Spring plants at the Filoli Garden.

Spring Plants. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Spring plants at the Filoli Garden.

Considering the weather California has been having, you’d have to forgive us for not remembering that spring is just around the corner. We’ve had weeks of colder than normal temperatures, lower than normal snow lines, and greater than normal rain. A few months ago we were hoping that there might be enough rain to curtail our drought, but now many are starting to say, “enough, already!” But when I look past the wintry weather I see that the green world is coming back to life.

Recently we headed to a nearby garden that features blooming bulbs at about this time each year. The blooms were starting, but seem to be a bit behind schedule. (You’ll like see photos or those flowers here soon.) But the plants are definitely emerging from winter slumber and growing like crazy. I photographed the green leaves of these bulbs in soft sunlight.


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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New England Woods #3

New England Woods #3
Tall trees and lush undergrowth in Southwestern Vermont.

New England Woods #3. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Tall trees and lush undergrowth in Southwestern Vermont.

This photograph continues the recent series (which isn’t finished just yet) of photographs documenting my “discovery” of New England woods. As I wrote earlier, I somehow managed to go this many years without visiting this lovely area. On our recent visit I mostly photographed in southwest Vermont, though I was briefly in Massachusetts with a camera, too. (We passed though portions of upstate New York… but we were too focused on getting from point A to point B to stop and make photographs.)

For a person brought up on California woods (which range from the widely-spaced oak trees at low elevation areas to the even more open forests of large trees in the mountains) the New England forests are a revelation. In some ways their moist greenness reminds me of parts of the Pacific Northwest, though the prevalence of deciduous trees sets them apart. Inside the woods, at least from what I saw, things are dense and quiet and overgrown with lush vegetation. I’m not yet quite sure how to photograph within these forests — though I think I can figure it out — and most of the recent photographs I’ll share are looking into the forest from its edge.


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 | FacebookEmail

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.