Tag Archives: landscape

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

Morning Light, Big Sur Coast

Image Leave a comment
Morning Light, Big Sur Coast
“Morning Light, Big Sur Coast” — Morning light, haze, and surf along the Big Sur Coast.

After a period of travel (Portugal, Spain, Belgium, NYC this time) it is always great to get back to photographing the natural world here in California. This week I heard that a couple of friends were in the Carmel area, less than an hour-and-a-half away, so we decided to meet up for some morning photography along the Big Sur coast. There’s no cell service where we were going, so we agreed to some coordinates on Google maps and set an early arrival time. I showed up, but couldn’t find them, so I made some photographs while waiting…

…including this one of the surf, morning light, and thin fog. As I photographed I noticed a couple of figures moving out onto the headland at the far right. I don’t usually include people in my landscape photography, but I’m not against it either, so I changed the framing a bit to incorporate them. It was only later in the evening, at home and working on photographs at my computer, that I zoomed in on the figures and realized that they are Franka and Dave, the friends I was searching for! (We did eventually connect, by the way.)

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

Join the discussion — you are welcome to leave a comment or question. (Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Photographers, Photographs: Southern California

Alone in the Wilderness

Image Leave a comment
Alone in the Wilderness, Death Valley
“Alone in the Wilderness” — Over a dozen morning photographers crowd one small section of sand dunes, Death Valley.

Yes, the photo title is obviously tongue-in-cheek. This is not really “wilderness,” nor is this a place where one is likely to be “alone.” But there is a lot to think about here. If you look closely — and you may need to click the image to get a larger view — you can count at least a dozen photographers spread out in this desert landscape that comprises a very small section of these dunes… and it is not at all the most crowded area.

You can diminish the number of people out there with you if you go in the off-season, avoid weekends, get up very early, and perhaps go there when the wind is howling. But most often you will not be anything like “alone” in this place. To be honest, one task for photographers here is figuring out to work around the crowds, assuming the crowds are not your intended subject.

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

Join the discussion — you are welcome to leave a comment or question. (Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Albania, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Albanian Farm Valbona Valley

Image Leave a comment
Albanian Farm Valbona Valley
“Albanian Farm Valbona Valley” — A gravel road leads toward an Albanian farm in the Valbona Valley.

This is another photograph from our fascinating but brief foray into Albania from our Kosovo home base back in the summer of 2023. A member of our “European family” who is from Kosovo took us on a tour up in to the Valbona Valley where we saw the spectacular Albanian Alps. On our return trip down the valley we briefly paused at this spot.

If I’m remembering the event correctly — and not superimposing two separate stops — we spotted a rural mosque across the river in this beautiful valley with the peaks in the distance. I wanted to photograph it, of course, so we all stopped and briefly walked around the area. Just upstream from a bridge across the river I saw this farm — or is it a homestead, or something else entirely?

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

Join the discussion — you are welcome to leave a comment or question. (Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

White Drin Waterfall

Image Leave a comment
White Drin Waterfall, Kosovo
“White Drin Waterfall” — The White Drin Waterfall , near Peja, Kosovo.

For this American, used to spending time in our national parks and in our wilderness areas, my visit to this place was a bit of a culture shock. This waterfall and a nearby cave complex are part of a “natural monument” in Kosovo, at the village of Radac a few miles west of Peja, Kosovo. Much to my surprise, the crowds here were absolutely huge. The first challenge was finding a place to park, and it turned out to be almost impossible. It seemed like everyone in Kosovo was walking this trail — families, foreign visitors, you name it. Booths along the trail sold food, drink, and trinkets.

On one hand, this was not exactly a wilderness experience. On the other hand… people clearly love this place. And it is quite beautiful. The river flowing below this waterfall is full of picturesque boulders, and lush trees overhang the water. My understanding is that this waterfall is regarded to be the source of the White Drin River, which flows from here into Albania.

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

Join the discussion — you are welcome to leave a comment or question. (Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)