Tag Archives: landscape

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

Snag, Red Rock

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Snag, Red Rock
An old snag stands in front of a freactured red rock cliff.

Snag, Red Rock. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old snag stands in front of a fractured red rock cliff.

Let me repeat a slightly embarrassing story that I’ve told before. For many years I did not bother to photograph in the Southwest. There are several facets to the explanation. I was something of a Sierra “bigot” — I loved that landscape so much that I could hardly understand why I would want to look elsewhere. In addition, when I was very young and my family drove between our California home and the Midwestern states where my relatives lived, I thought that our route through Utah was boring.

So it was only in the last decade or so that I finally “discovered” Utah’s beautiful red rock landscapes. My first visit was on a spring trip that took us to Zion, then across the state through Bryce and Capitol Reef (perhaps the most under-appreciated of these parks) and then to Moab where we visited Arches and Canyonlands. Since that time I have returned at other times of the year and pushed my explorations out beyond the boundaries of the parks, but this photograph comes from that first visit.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Surf, Rocks, Clearing Fog

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Surf, Rocks, Clearing Fog
Morning fog begins to clear over rocky islands along the Pacific coast.

Surf, Rocks, Clearing Fog. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning fog begins to clear over rocky islands along the Pacific coast.

One of my habits is, when possible, to head for the Pacific Coast sound of Monterey early in the morning, especially on days when I think that there will be coastal fog and it will likely clear at some point during the morning. The thickest fog can be dramatic, but it can also kill the light — but when it starts to clear and the light begins to come into the scene, the effects can be glorious. The fog may glow, colors on the water and hills can be enhanced, and views of the sky above the fog begin to emerge.

On this late-March morning I decided to make a stop at Point Lobos, where a big, early-spring surf was making things interesting. From a great distance I photographed this scene with a long lens as big breakers swept over the edges of the rocky islands and as the fog began to thin and reveal blue sky above.

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco

Late Winter Morning , Richardson Bay

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Late Winter Morning , Richardson Bay
Clouds and fog about Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay on a winter morning.

Late Winter Morning , Richardson Bayv. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds and fog about Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay on a winter morning.

This photograph comes from a late-winter visit to redwoods north of San Francisco — the time of year where the trillium flowers are in bloom and when the approach of spring is evident. I had crossed the Golden Gate Bridge heading north, then left US 101 and climbed into the hills between there and the coast. From a familiar section of roadway there is a clear view back toward the Bay, so I stopped and photographed in the morning light.

The atmosphere was striking on this morning — a combination of backlight glinting on the water’s surface, low fog over the east bay, and odd band of bright clouds floating over the scene, and high above some slightly colored high clouds. In the foreground is Richardson Bay, between Sausalito and Tiburon, and beyond it is possibly to make out portions of the old eastern span of the Bay Bridge.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Winter Desert Evening

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Winter Desert Evening
Evening quiet comes to a wide desert valley in the northern reaches of Death Valley National Park.

Winter Desert Evening. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening quiet comes to a wide desert valley in the northern reaches of Death Valley National Park.

Mostly this scene brings back a memory of utter silence and solitude at the end of a day that had been quite full. I had started far away in a very different part of Death Valley National park, photographing in locations where there were quite a few other people. In the late morning I broke camp and headed north, eventually driving many miles on a long gravel road, over some hills, and out on another road across flats to arrive at this place. There were a few people there when I arrived, but they soon departed.

So I had this entire immense valley to myself for the evening, the night, and the following early morning. I wandered slowly, making photographs along the edge of dunes, until the sun set. I continued photographing as the light became soft and everything became utterly still.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.