Tag Archives: landscape

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

Autumn Aspen Forest

March 10, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Autumn Aspen forests stretch across the landscape of Dixie National Forest, Utah

Is it ever to soon to start thinking about fall color? I think not. I made this photograph nearly five years ago on a big autumn trip around Utah. We started with a few days in California’s Eastern Sierra, then crossed Nevada by less-used routes to get to the area near Cedar Breaks. From there we headed east, eventually going as far as Moab before cutting across northern Arizona on our return trip.

This photograph was made not far from Cedar Breaks, along a gravel road that we happened to end up on for no other reason than we had some time and it looked interesting. The aspen forests here are more extensive that what I’m used to in California — they stretch over larger distances, and often the trees are straighter and taller. As you enjoy this beautiful scene, keep in mind that much of Utah’s wild lands — our wild lands — are under threat from political forces in the state that would place the short-term gain of a few special interest industries above the interests of the land’s current owners, you and me!

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Light on Granite Slabs

March 8, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

First light reflects on smooth granite slabs, Yosemite Valley

These smooth slabs of granite are at the base of Glacier Point, wrapping around it and roughly following the contours of the Merced River’s path as it rises toward Vernal and Nevada Falls and the High Sierra far beyond. I love large expanses of smooth granite, but the curving quality of this stretch is special and different from most other cliff faces in the Valley.

I had looked at this face the previous morning but did not photograph it, so on this second morning I headed straight out to a spot where I thought I might get a clear view as the first light come over higher ridges to the east and flowed across the granite. We can regard this as an interpretation of the scene, as the granite is perhaps not this dark — but brilliant sunlight reflections, enhanced by snow patches and melting water, made portions of the scene incredibly bright.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cliff, Trees, Snow

March 7, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A band of trees at the snowy base of the face of Half Dome

Very early on two late February mornings, I was up and out the door well before sunrise, walking though shallow snow and sub-twenty-degree air to a nearby meadow to photograph that start of the Yosemite Valley day. On both occasions, my main strategy was to look upwards toward the cliffs and use a long lens to pick out small scenes that might otherwise be missed in the immensity of the scene.

Eventually the sun came up and light broke over the upper rim of the Valley, gradually working its way down the steep walls, first on the north side and eventually on the south side where I was focusing my attention. But it would be a long time — probably noon at least — until the direct light made it to this spot at the base of Half Dome. The low contrast and blue tone of the light along with the banks of snow reinforces the frigid feeling of this scene, with a row of straight and tall trees managing to make a living on this ledge at the bottom of the giant face of the mountain.

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

Red Rock, Tree

March 6, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A tree grows among eroded sandstone formations, Bryce Canyon National Park

Recently I spent some time going back through older photographs from some visits to the Southwest, notably Utah, a few years back. I suspect that three things provoked me to do this. First, I have found that I’m not always able to completely understand my own photographs right away. Some are obviously “keepers” from the very beginning, but others only make sense after I have not looked at them for a while — so I build this periodic visit to older subjects into my workflow. Secondly, I love the Utah landscape, from its most intimate to its grandest subjects. It is a place I think about a lot, and a place that I would like to revisit often. Third, I’m acutely aware of the existential dangers to this very landscape posed by the ascendance of short-sighted, self-interested, hyper-partisan political forces in Utah right now. As a matter of principle, I have decided to not visit that state until their representatives stop trying to ruin it. (I urge you to consider contributions to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance or other local groups working to protect Utah’s public lands for all Americans, and to join me in boycotting the state for now.)

This photograph comes from Bryce Canyon National Park, a place of great beauties… that I still haven’t quite gotten my mind around. The rugged red formations facing the rising sun certainly present a striking appearance, but working from along the main road and its offshoots I still haven’t found my vision of the place. Oddly, some of my strongest visual recollections of the place are looking back at it from the east and from a great distance. In this photograph a single small tree peeks out from behind some of the sandstone structures.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: landscape

Autumn Aspen Forest

Light on Granite Slabs

Cliff, Trees, Snow

Red Rock, Tree

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.