Tag Archives: hill

Photographs: Photographers, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Detail, Wildcat Hill

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Detail, Wildcat Hill
Detail, Wildcat Hill

Detail, Wildcat Hill. Wildcat Hill, California. September 28, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of a building at Wildcat Hill

This is the third and final (for now, anyway) photograph from my visit to the historic Wildcat Hill home of Edward Weston and other members of the Weston family, today including Kim and Gina Weston. I suppose that visiting the Weston compound is something of a photographer’s pilgrimage, given Edward Weston’s influence and the work of the other photographers in the Weston family. (I believe there now may be as many as five generations of Weston photographers.)

The place is fascinating in many ways. Given its location, today not far from a very busy tourist byway, it is especially intriguing to think about what the place must have been like many decades ago. The main building is maintained in much the way it must have been many years ago, and it is a rather humble structure. Inside are many fascinating artifacts — Weston prints, paintings, sculpture, objects from the home, the small Edward Weston darkroom, and more. Over the years the place seems to have picked up a large number of small bits and pieces of “stuff” that is found everywhere — on shelves, attached to walls, scattered around the grounds. These things make fascinating subjects for almost any photographer.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Evening, Near Fruita

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Evening, Near Fruita
“Evening, Near Fruita” — Evening light on the cliffs and hills of Capitol Reef National Park near Fruita

I had just arrived at Fruita (pronounced “Fruit-ah”) at Capital Reef National Park in the afternoon, after driving from near Kanab via a long gravel back road. After meeting a friend here and setting up camp it was late afternoon, and there was just time to head out and do some brief photography nearby before the day ended. We had an idea about heading into one of the west side canyons that are accessible by the popular (mostly) paved road, but we didn’t get nearly that far before we saw this beautiful evening light. Actually, we were probably not even a quarter-mile from the campground!

The light in this part of the park often poses a bit of a challenge late in the day. While one might look for late golden hour sun on these west-facing sandstone cliffs and peaks, the land rises from here toward the west, causing the sun to disappear from this area earlier than you might expect. But we got lucky, as broken clouds softened and warmed the light as the last sun touched these rocks just as we arrived at this spot. It is the kind of place I might usually drive past, as it is almost too obvious of a photographic location. However, I readily admit to stopping at iconic locations when the light is special, as it surely was on this evening.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Forested Hill, Morning

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Forested Hill, Morning
Forested Hill, Morning

Forested Hill, Morning. Lake Tahoe, California. June 21, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on trees of an open forest ascending a rocky hillside, Lake Tahoe

More quiet morning light at Lake Tahoe, photographed during my visit last week. We were there for a wedding and up late at night, but I still managed to struggle out of bed shortly after 5:00 in pre-dawn near darkness and head out along the west side of the lake. For such an urbanized and busy place, it is certainly possible to find quiet and solitude in these early morning hours. I saw almost no one else out traveling at this early hour — apparently the beautiful dawn light isn’t quite enough to get others to rise!

The light was the sort that I describe as “interesting.” It was not the all-too-common light of a cloudless blue Sierra sky, nor was it the darkened, overcast light. There were enough clouds to occasionally “turn out the lights” on the warm morning light, but between those cloud shadows warm and soft light passed across lake and rocks and forest. I stopped at a simple roadside turnout, surrounded by forest, when I saw this morning light coming from behind some trees and, nearby, hitting them from the side. This is one sort of quintessential Sierra terrain, with straight but not too tall trees leading up a rocky and sandy slope covered with boulders and manzanita.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Break Time, Savoy Hill

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Break Time, Savoy Hill
Break Time, Savoy Hill

Break Time, Savoy Hill. London, England. July 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hotel workers taking a cigarette break in the alley, Savoy Hill, City of Westminster, London

Very near this little alley is a large and famous hotel. We come up to this spot from the back way, so we did not see the typical hustle and bustle of the hotel entrance, instead just looking up a very nearly deserted side street to see a few employees on break, apparently having a smoke, We walked into this area and discovered a beautiful church hidden away on a corner to the right and out of the frame. After stopping to visit there, we continued our wandering and soon crossed in front of the hotel where these folks apparently work.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.