Tag Archives: half

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel

Two Buildings, Kaysersberg

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Two Buildings, Kaysersberg
“Two Buildings, Kaysersberg” — Two old buildings, one with Christmas decorations, in Kaysersberg, Alsace, France.

This is the second photograph that I have shared of the building on the right. Located in the Alsace town of Kaysersberg, it stands alongside the river that runs though the village. This building, with its colorful shutters and Christmas decorations attracted my attention first, but I also appreciated the contrast between it and the more rustic building to the left.

Kaysersberg is, like many other similar places in Alsace that we visited, a charming little town, especially during the holiday season when there are decorations everywhere and especially along the Main Street.

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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


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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Half Submerged

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Half Submerged
“Half Submerged” — The salt playa of Death Valley partially submerged under the shallow waters of Manly Lake.

Part of what I love about this subject is how hard it is initially to understand exactly what we are looking at. (I wonder what you thought it was at first?) My first impression, at least when looking at small versions, is of sky and clouds. It is only when I look more closely that I realize that it is not that at all — it is the playa of Death Valley, where salt flats are partially submerged beneath the water of Lake Manly.

We usually direct our eyes parallel to the ground or perhaps upwards when we view the landscape. But on those occasions when we can look down at it from a distance we see it in a very different light. Features that are barely, if at all, visible from down below become the major points of interest. (There’s a lot more to see in this scene than first meets the eye.) And all of this is enhanced by the subjective feelings that come with looking out from any very high vantage point.

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, Photographs: Yosemite

Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise

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Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise
The half-moon rises over a ridge above a Yosemite backcountry lake.

Alpine Lake, Sunset Moonrise. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The half-moon rises over a ridge above a Yosemite backcountry lake.

This rugged ridge rises above the lake at which I camped for several days of Yosemite backcountry photography. During the day these slopes have an entirely different appearance, glowing brightly in the harsh daytime sunlight. Later they become blue as the sun leaves and evening shadows take over. But for a brief moment just before the sun dropped over the western horizon, the slopes were washed with this beautiful pink light as the moon rose over the ridge.

We often imagine that landscape photography is a slow, thoughtful process. It can be slow, and there are times when I wait a long time in one spot for the right thing to happen. But other times the landscape changes with remarkable speed. The edge-of-the-day morning and evening times often are in this category, as the light undergoes profound changes in minutes or even seconds.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cliff, Trees, Snow

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Cliff, Trees, Snow
A band of trees at the snowy base of the face of Half Dome

Cliff, Trees, Snow. Yosemite National Park, California. February 25, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A band of trees at the snowy base of the face of Half Dome

Very early on two late February mornings, I was up and out the door well before sunrise, walking though shallow snow and sub-twenty-degree air to a nearby meadow to photograph that start of the Yosemite Valley day. On both occasions, my main strategy was to look upwards toward the cliffs and use a long lens to pick out small scenes that might otherwise be missed in the immensity of the scene.

Eventually the sun came up and light broke over the upper rim of the Valley, gradually working its way down the steep walls, first on the north side and eventually on the south side where I was focusing my attention. But it would be a long time — probably noon at least — until the direct light made it to this spot at the base of Half Dome. The low contrast and blue tone of the light along with the banks of snow reinforces the frigid feeling of this scene, with a row of straight and tall trees managing to make a living on this ledge at the bottom of the giant face of the mountain.

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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