Tag Archives: hill

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Tree, Morning Light

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Autumn Tree, Morning Light

Autumn Tree, Morning Light. Calero Hills, California. November 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A singe leafless tree on a grassy hillside in morning light – Calero Hills, California.

A week ago I spent the morning at one of my favorite nearby locations, the oak and grassland hills of Calero Park south of San Jose, California. This is a place I visit frequently. On this trip I did something a bit different. Although I tend to shoot more with wide angle to normal focal length lenses, on this morning I went out with the 100-400mm zoom attached to my camera. Initially this was because I hoped to photograph an egret that often hangs out at a pond I would pass early on the hike, but as I continued I decided to find out what I could "see" with this different lens.

This is a subtle photograph – and I’m afraid that the details in the branches of the tree that make it work at a larger size are not really visible here. The photo was shot at 400mm – yes a 400mm landscape photo! The long lens produced a very narrow depth of field so – in the print at least – both foreground and background are thrown a bit out of focus, accentuating the sharp shapes of the small side-lit branches on the tree.

keywords: tree, oak, fall, autumn, grass, meadow, forest, tree, light, morning, branches, hill, ridge, calero, california, usa, santa clara county, san jose, park, bay area, nature, follage, landscape, scenic, stock

Photographs: Death Valley

Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point

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Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Gullies in Morning Light, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning light illuminates complex folds and gullies at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

I was reminded of these photographs recently when I read a discussion thread on photographing the amazing formations at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, and I went back to look through some of my images from a previous trip that I had not reviewed recently.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: zabriskie, point, morning, light, fold, gully, hill, color, mountain, desert, dry, erosion, eroded, brown, tan, red, shadow, scenic, travel, landscape, death valley, national park, california, usa, stock, curve

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

July Sky and Fence

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July Sky and Fence
July Sky and Fence. Central California. July 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A cloudy July sky over a hilltop fence line in Central California. While it might make a better story if I had made this photograph is some exotic place, I’m afraid that I saw this scene on an afternoon at a nearby place where I frequently hike. This is why I always carry my camera when I hike…

keywords: california, usa, santa clara county, grassland, grass, meadow, sky, cloud, hill, pasture, fence, skyline, ridge, range, landscape, scenic, stock, nature, west, quicksilver, park

Photographs: Central California

Oak, Sky, and Sun

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Oak, Sky, and Sun (monochrome)

Oak, Sky, and Sun (black and white). Calero Hills, California. April 13, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white version of photograph of morning sun rising above an oak tree on a grassy ridge in central California.

For this photograph I was back at one of my most familiar haunts, the Calero Park south of San Jose, California. This area of oak/grassland is seemingly far less “exotic” and distant than some of my other subjects, but it is a favorite of mine. On this spring early morning hike I was perhaps no more than 10 minutes up the trail from the parking lot when I found this beautiful light along side a trail I’ve hiked scores of times.

keywords: black and white, oak, tree, meadow, grass, flowers, hill, ridge, sun, silhouette, blue, sky, plants, spring, morning, grassland, calero, santa clara, county, park, california, usa, scenic, landscape, stock