Tag Archives: light

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Morning, Dune Shadows

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Morning, Dune Shadows
Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

Morning, Dune Shadows. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

As I usually do when photographing here, I arrived very early and began my walk out to a less-busy area of the dunes well before sunrise. The dawn and sunset transitions between night and day move quickly and, of course, present some of the most interesting visual opportunities. I photograph right though these transitional periods, often working quickly to try to take advantage of as many of the transient opportunities as possible.

When I look at this photograph I recall many things from this morning and others like it. The air is still and only hinting at the intense heat that will arrive later. As the first sunlight hits the tops of the dunes there is a striking contrast between the warm colors in the light and the blues in the shadows, where the light comes from the overhead bowl of the blue sky. As sun rises higher the light intensifies and the color gradually becomes less intense, providing new photographic opportunities.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Dust Storm, Desert Hills

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Dust Storm, Desert Hills
A dust storm begins to envelope desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Dust Storm, Desert Hills. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dust storm begins to envelope desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Last year we spent nearly a week in Death Valley in the Spring, photographing landscape and plants and flowers. I go every year, usually camping, but this time we stayed in one of the lodging facilities in the park, heading out from there on various one-day adventures. (I like camping in the park… but I don’t mind sleeping in a bed and eating good food either…)

We experienced some fairly big dust storms during this visit — not the biggest I’ve seen by far, but powerful enough to make an impression. One was building on this afternoon, so we headed in that direction to see what photographic opportunities might arise. Near the end of the day the sky was almost apocalyptic, with clouds above, raging dust storm below, and sunset color. But this photograph comes from earlier in the day when the effect was more subtle. We stopped close to these rounded desert hills and photographed the landscape as the more distant mountains gradually were obscured by the increasing dust.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Pinnacles And Desert Mountains

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Pinnacles And Desert Mountains
Distant desert mountians rise beyond rocky pinnacles in midday light.

Pinnacles And Desert Mountains. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Distant desert mountians rise beyond rocky pinnacles in midday light.

Photographers would typically not photograph a subject like this one on a day like this or at this time of day — close to the middle of a perfectly clear day, with stark desert light. But that’s when I typically pass through this area, always on my travels to and from Death Valley. On this spring day I had gotten on the road very early to start the long drive, planning to arrive in the park by mid-afternoon, so being in this spot was a secondary effect of that planning

But this challenging midday desert light is perhaps more typical of such scenes, with their stark contrasts between bright light and deep, sharp-edged shadows. Here the foreground pinnacles are backlit and almost in silhouette, while in the distance the lower reaches of a giant desert mountain range begin to rise from this broad valley.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Sand and Shadows

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Sand and Shadows
Sand dunes and shadows from early morning sun.

Sand and Shadows. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sand dunes and shadows from early morning sun.

Sand dunes are the photographer’s playground, with a seemingly infinite range of shapes and lines and ever-changing light. They can be photographed on any scale, from the largest landscape down to tiny elements like flowers or the tracks of animals. No matter how often you have visited a particular set of dunes — and I’ve been to these scores of times — there is always something new to see.

Because of the relatively early hour of the day, when shadows are everywhere but changing quickly, it is likely that I made this photograph quickly. During the first and last few minutes of the day, the light changes so quickly that one often must work fast and complete a photograph before the light changes and the shadows move.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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