While Scotland’s Isle of Skye is, for good reason, a very popular place to visit, you can also find great views of the Isle and its mountains from along Scotland’s less-populated western coast. After our visit to Skye we headed north to Ullapool, and from there drove a long loop out to the village of Applecross. Before turning south toward that spot the route hugged the coastline, offering continuous views across the water to islands including Skye.
Continue reading Looking Toward Skye
Having just returned from our second long visit to Scotland and the highlands, I’m still trying to form a clear sense of just what defines the character of this landscape. Admittedly, this is a subjective thing, affected by our unique experiences there and by the prior experiences to which we compare that. My touchstone for “mountains” is California’s Sierra Nevada, a generally congenial range with sunshine and access to very high places. By Sierra standards, Scotland’s high places are “low” — but equally spectacular. Scotland definitely does not seem like a “place of sunshine” — instead it is wet, cloudy, and when sunshine comes it is often muted.
Continue reading Highlands Loch, Mountains, and Sky
Arches National Park is red rock country, a landscape dominated by the colors of Southwest sandstone. Almost all of my photographs of the area are in color, for that obvious reason. It is not just the rocks themselves — the complementary greens of vegetation and the blue of the sky feature strongly, too. But this particular view, a veritable moonscape, seems to call for a monochrome interpretation.
Continue reading Sandstone Terrain and Mountains
I have photographed in Yosemite since I was literally a child. (The first “serious ” photograph I recall making was on a family trip to the Valley when I scrambled up a little hill to find a composition of a dome framed by tree branches.) The Valley remains one of the most astonishing sights on the planet, with features that are darned near unbelievable. But after decades of photographing there, when I visit now I look for other things than the icons.
Admittedly these black oaks have become almost iconic, though they aren’t a recognizable feature in the way that Half Dome or Yosemite Falls are. There’s no one particular feature, but rather a playground of textures and colors and lines to work with. I stop and photograph here on almost every visit.
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.