Tag Archives: landscape

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

Sandstone and Canyon Mud

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Sandstone and Canyon Mud
Cracked mud at the bottom of a narrow Utah sandstone slot canyon

Sandstone and Canyon Mud. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cracked mud at the bottom of a narrow Utah sandstone slot canyon

For various reasons I found myself looking back into my archives of older photographs this week. In one case someone asked about a particular subject and I thought that I could find the answer in the form of a photograph. In another I wanted to use an older image to illustrate a point. Sometimes when I go back to the old raw image files one thing leads to another and I’m off on an exploration of forgotten work. And, quite often, as I do this I “rediscover” photographs that I had originally left behind for one reason or another.

This week’s dive into the past took me back about four years to a wonderful trip to the Southwest. I had several weeks to wander. I started in the Kanab area, worked my way up to Capitol Reef to meet a photographer friend, then joined with a group of photographer/friends to spend several days camping and photographing in a remote area. I emerged from that backcountry trip to spend a night in a wonderful lodge in Boulder — what a shock that was! — and then headed west to join my family in the Zion area. I made this photograph early on the trip. I decided to explore a new area which I knew to hold some well-known features. I drove into the area, found a place to park at a likely looking trailhead, shouldered my pack and headed into a large wash, eventually entering a section of beautiful slot canyon terrain, with much from recent rains still covering parts of the canyon floor.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Photographers

Photographer, Raging Surf

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Photographer, Raging Surf
A photographer stands on headlands bluffs to photograph huge Big Sur swells

Photographer, Raging Surf. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A photographer stands on headlands bluffs to photograph huge Big Sur swells

On this day of gigantic Pacific Coast surf, I stopped at the first location I came to that afforded close access to the bluffs above the raging surf. I grabbed camera, one lens, and tripod and set out on one of the informal use trails between the Pacific Coast Highway and the surf, eventually finding a side trail that took me to a spectacular overlook with views to the south across the surf and into the light. (I mostly shoot “contre jour,” or into the light in these conditions, since that enhances the light on the mist and waves, among other reasons.) Soon it was time to move on, so I packed up and started back up to my car.

At the top of the trail I took one last look before packing and moving on to my next location. As I did I saw a photographer on the spine of one of the ridges running toward the sea, and noticed that he was backed by some truly astounding surf. So I quickly held up, put my tripod back up again, and made a few exposures as he stood against the background of the huge waves.

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.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Headlands And Mist

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Headlands And Mist
Strong late-autumn surf raises clouds of mist above rocky headlands along the Big Sur coast.

Headlands and Mist. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Strong late-autumn surf raises clouds of mist above rocky headlands along the Big Sur coast.

Today I continue with photographs from my visit to the upper Big Sur coastline in the middle of December, on a day when distant Gulf of Alaska weather fronts were sending giant surf crashing against the beaches, sea stacks, and cliffs. This is perhaps my favorite set of conditions for California coastal photography — a clear, post-storm day with giant surf that raises a layer of mist along the shoreline. When I see reports of such conditions I try my best to get over there quickly!

On the drive down, even as I passed Monterey Bay I could see the effects on the water. Waves in the bay didn’t seem unusually large, but off in the distance I could see the land at the northwest end of the Monterey Peninsula where gigantic white breakers created a line against the horizon. Once I got south of Carmel and right next to the coast the picture was even clearer, and I soon stopped on a bluff to get “up close and personal” (but from a safe spot) with the show. I made this photograph a bit further south in a spot that I’ve photographed many times. Here there is a view across several rocky ribs at the water’s edge and on to a taller hill beyond — and I know this as a spot with great potential for surf and light and for raising clouds of spray and mist.

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.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean

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Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean
“Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean” — Point Sur is silhouetted against the brilliantly bright sunlit ocean

Point Sur is one of the most striking landmarks along the rugged Big Sur coastline south of Monterey, California. There is plenty of striking and remarkable seascape and landscape here, but this feature is pretty much unique. It consists of a rocky, rounded hill right at the edge of the ocean, and it is (barely) connected to the mainland by a narrow, sandy peninsula. (I often wonder how many times the peninsula has been overridden by tsunami waves over the millennia.)

The spot also has a long human history. Over a century ago a lighthouse was established on Point Sur, and since it was so isolated — there was no Pacific Coast Highway back then — the residents had to be essentially self-reliant. The lighthouse workers were let go decades ago when automated lights replaced the old lighthouses, but the place is still there and much of it has been restored. I am in the area often, but the view changes a lot, and this time I photographed it from hills to the north as giant waves approached the coast and the brilliant sun glinted on the surface of the Pacific Ocean

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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.