Tag Archives: landscape

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Window Formation, Desert Mountains

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Window Formation, Desert Mountains
“Window Formation, Desert Mountains” — Desert mountains beyond a teardrop-shaped window in a rock wall, Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is full of popular and famous attractions that are quite accessible — Mesquite Dunes, Badwater, Zabriskie Point, to name a few. But there’s far more to this immense park than the popular spots. There are equally worthy things to see everywhere, including in some rather remote locations. This is one of those sights, and the odds are that you would be alone here if you were to visit.

The feature is an impressive tear-drop shaped “window” in a wall of rock that stands on the inside of a sharp bend in the canyon. Beyond, further canyon walls rise above the wash, and in the far distance we see the highest peaks of the Panamint Range, including 11,000’+ Telescope Peak.

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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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Mountain Sunset

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Desert Mountain Sunset
“Desert Mountain Sunset” — Golden hour light on desert mountains, Death Valley.

The final full day of our pre-Christmas visit to Death Valley was mostly not ideal for photography. A winter storm was approaching, and most of the day was quite gray. We managed to get out and photograph in some canyons, but by mid-afternoon the prospects were deteriorating rapidly, and we decided to take a break. Somewhat later, without warning, there was a brief clearing before sunset… so off we went to take advantage of the light!

The best light appeared to be well north of us, so we loaded up the vehicle and headed that way. By this time the light was evolving quickly, partially as a result of the changing atmospheric conditions but also because it was late in the day. When I saw the colorful light on these somewhat distant, rugged mountains I stopped and put a long lens on the camera so that I could capture the scene before the light faded.

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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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Hillside

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Autumn Hillside
“Autumn Hillside” — Aspens and other autumn foliage, Utah.

This is another photograph from “nowhere in particular,” a location where I often find myself while searching for subjects. It turns out that there’s a lot of interesting stuff to see there if you slow down a bit and keep your eyes open. This slope is on the west side of a range of Utah mountains that overlooks much lower desert country, and I photographed it late in the day when the light was warm-toned and soft.

I suppose that this photograph violates a few of the “rules” about having a clear primary subject and so on. But here the main focus isn’t a single thing — it is the overall wash of color and texture on this hillside. Where is this spot? I can say that it is in the Dixie National Forest, but that is about as specific as I’ll be!

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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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Aspen Trees, Utah

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Autumn Aspen Trees, Utah
“Autumn Aspen Trees, Utah” — Dense forest of tall aspen trees with autumn foliage, Dixie National Forest.

This seems like a somewhat unusual aspen photograph for me. One difference is the color palette — in addition to the usual yellows and reds, there is a lot of green from the small conifers growing beneath the aspen canopy. Another difference is that I photographed during the main part of the day, rather than in the soft light of early morning or evening.

Over the course of several visits to Utah I gradually learned that the best sights are not restricted to the famous national parks. There is a lot to see and photograph in those places, but state parks, national monuments, and national forests also present loads of opportunities. This photograph was made in the vast and diverse Dixie National Forest.

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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.