Tag Archives: light

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

Forest, Meadow, and Ridge

Image Leave a comment
Forest, Meadow, and Ridge
“Forest, Meadow, and Ridge” — Cathedral range peaks tower above lodgepole pine forest and subalpine meadow, Yosemite.

After years of photographing now-familiar scenes in this location, I still manage to find angles from which I have not photographed. I had gone to a location near Tuolumne Meadows to see how recent “remodeling” had changed things, and I just happened to look in the right direction from the right spot — and I saw this part of the Cathedral Range in evening light.

I’ve long been fascinated by the Cathedral Range. Years ago I learned that its rock is unusual, featuring large crystals. Once I knew that I began to notice it everywhere in this part of Yosemite. This sub-range runs perpendicular to the main range. Its summits are the typical Yosemite granite in appearance, but their elevation is just right to have allowed them to be significantly glaciated. Yet the peaks are high enough to have the rugged look of summits that were above the ice fields.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Formations, First Light

Image Leave a comment
Sandstone Formations, First Light
“Sandstone Formations, First Light” — Sandstone towers and walls in first light, Arches National Park.

I made this photograph from an “official” viewpoint…. that is named for an entirely different view that lies behind my camera position. There is something interesting in that other direction, but this tableau of sandstone towers and walls, near and far, seems more compelling to me, especially very early in the morning when the rising sun illuminates them. I made this photograph just before actual sunrise, when the earth’s shadow is visible in the distant sky.

My feelings about Arches National Park are complicated. When we drove into the park in the morning on my very first visit, I really had little idea of what I would see. I was dumbfounded by the wild formations — huge sandstone walls, tall towers, rocks perched in improbable places, long views. It is definitely worth a visit or two, but be aware that it is a heavily impacted place. Its beauty is part of the reason, but it also lies just outside the town of Moab, Utah, making it (perhaps too) accessible.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)

Image 2 Comments
Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)
“Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)” — Patterns formed by light, paint, shadows, and structure on an urban building.

This is one of a pair of photographs of the same structure. I’ll bet you might not be surprised to hear that the companion photograph is called “Rectangular Pattern (Vertical).” Working on this pair got me to thinking about a series that I might call “Urban Geometries” featuring such photographs, both from my existing archives and from some new work. You can look at this as a photograph of a real scene or, if you work at it, you may be able to see it as an abstract composition of forms and colors.

The location is an area that was acquired by a (very) big company for a huge future corporate campus. Then came the pandemic. Now their plans appear to be on hold, though they still hold rights to the properties. I suspect, but do not know for certain, that they did some “sprucing up” of the area to avoid charges that they are allowing it to degrade. Right now it is largely a sort of urban dead zone… though it has nice paint.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Formations, Earlry Morning Light

Image Leave a comment
Sandstone Formations, Earlry Morning Light
“Sandstone Formations, Early Morning Light” — Early morning light on sandstone formations at Arches National Park.

Recently I have been revisiting photographs from a decade ago, including a couple of lengthy trips to Utah in the spring and fall seasons. On one we visited Arches National Park — believe it or not, my first visit. I felt like I sort of knew the place, having read Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” a few times, but the reality of this landscape astounded me. My wife, Patricia Emerson Mitchell, likes to tell a story about me more or less losing it when I first saw those sandstone formations!

On this morning we entered the park very early, well before sunrise. I had been photographing for some time when I made this photograph. The sun had recently risen, but the light still was warm, and the effect on the red rock formations was striking. This is an example of my long-lens landscape photographs. Some people imagine that landscape photography must be done with wide and normal focal length lenses, but I often like to use long focal lengths to limit my view to small sections of the larger landscape

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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.