Tag Archives: light

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

Plants, Canyon Light

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Plants, Canyon Light
A beam of light catches plants growing on the shadowed walls of a Utah slot canyon.

Plants, Canyon Light. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A beam of light catches plants growing on the shadowed walls of a Utah slot canyon.

While much of the time canyon light seems soft, suffused, and stable, there are edge conditions in which the light changes very quickly — appearing suddenly and lasting only minutes or seconds. This is especially true with direct light since the edges of the light are often scores or hundreds of feet above, and shadows from such things can traverse the deep canyon landscape with astonishing speed.

This photograph was made in such a place and in such conditions. The canyon walls were nearly parallel to the angle of the sun, and the beam of light came down from above only inches from the surface of the canyon wall. While the rock remains in shadow, this light manages to stoke the tree bits of vegetation in the scene.

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: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light

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Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light
Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

While I often refer to this part of the world as “red rock country,” in truth the rock is rarely actually red, and its coloration changes radically depending on when and where you see it. In deep canyons it can become, in objective terms, almost purple. At sunset or sunrise it edges far into the warm portion of the spectrum, varying on gold, orange, or yellow. In flat light the intensity of the color diminishes. In some places colors on the surface of the rock are striking — either from material that coats it or the variations between old and new sections.

As I work on photographs I often have several open on my computer at once, with some of them staring back at me for weeks as I put off final decisions about how to interpret them. Recently there have been mostly photographs of this red rock country, and looking at those together has reinforced just how varied these colors are. This section of a cliff face at Arches National Park was photographed in very early morning light that shone at a low angle almost directly onto the the rock, and this light reveals details of the face that might not otherwise be seen with such clarity.

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: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon

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Creek, Canyon Light
A stream flows through the lower reaches of a Utah slot canyon, illuminated by lautumn ight reflected from canyon walls.

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn colors along a stream in a winding Utah red rock slot canyon.

On this lovely October day we left our lodgings and headed out on a long, quiet gravel backroad, eventually coming to a semi-hidden turn-off where we found a place to park. We loaded packs with camera equipment, switched into shoes appropriate for mud and wading, and headed up a shallow stream through flat terrain. Soon sandstone walls began to rise along the creek, and quickly we were in this intimate winding canyon with its combination of colors of autumn and light reflected on red rock cliffs.

This is the canyon where I stepped in my first quicksand. (Just enough to get my attention!) Once in the canyons, in addition to seeing photographic subjects everywhere, a series of sensory experiences stuck with me. Our voices were quiet as we ascended the stream’s shallow course, and sounds in the canyon were muted, mostly being the gentle sounds of water. The air was still for the most part, and the world outside the canyon disappeared, aside from that thin strip of blue sky straight overhead. At this bend leaves littered the sandy bank where the stream curved around rocks, the water glowed in the light reflected from upper canyon walls, and a few autumn trees stood with yellow leaves.

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.

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

Light on Red Rock

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Light on Red Rock
Sandstone formations in sunlight, Arches National Park.

Light on Red Rock. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sandstone formations in sunlight, Arches National Park.

As I have waded through my 2012 archive of raw images from Utah, made during two autumn trips to the southern part of the state that lasted nearly a full month in total, I am again reminded to the incredibly diverse ways in which the ubiquitous sandstone can be seen. Sometimes, in stark light, the colors are not that striking. In the depths of canyons they can be unbelievably intense. In dawn and sunset light they can become so saturated as to be nearly unbelievable. In shade they can be tinged with blue. And on it goes…

I made this photograph in “normal” daytime light, in a place where the sun beats down without obstruction. I don’t recall for sure now, but judging by the reasonable light levels of the highlights, it may have been a bit overcast. In this location the rock tends to organize into “fins” and fin-like formations, with long walls that are tall and parallel to one another. The nearly overhead light created shadows on the side of the rocks facing me, but each face was also subtly lit by reflections.

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.