Tag Archives: light

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Morning, Wildfire Smoke

December 1, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Wildfire smoke layer drift, above Mono Lake at sunrise

The subject of this photograph comes about as close to being insubstantial as possible. When I began photographing before dawn on this September morning, Mono Lake was still mostly visible, though a large cloud of wildfire smoke was gathering to the southeast and beginning to drift toward the lake. First, layers of smoke began to stretch individually across the lake as sunrise approached. As more of them arrived they began to completely obscure the more distant landscape and to mute the colors and details of objects that were even closer. If you look at this photograph for a moment you can begin to see what remains — a bit of a peninsula with some tufa formations along the right margin, and in the lower center and stretching toward the left some soft reflections of morning light on the surface of the lake.

For a moment when I first saw the smoke I was disappointed that it might interfere with my photography, but it only took a moment to realize that these were special and beautiful conditions not likely to occur that often. The smoke and the morning backlight rendered details almost invisible, only seen faintly through gaps in the smoke. The smoke itself, dividing into layers and taking on subtle colors from the morning back-light, filled the scene with nearly abstract shapes. But before long smoke filled in even more, and soon it was too opaque to photograph at all.

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

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Wildfire Smoke, Morning Light

November 30, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning light reflects on the surface of Mono Lake, partially obscured by drifting wildfire smoke

The night before I made this photograph I had driven back to my Lee Vining Canyon camp from a backcountry hike in the Tioga Pass area, leaving the park and descending the steep route after dark. As I crossed the upper end of Lee Vining Canyon, where there is a relatively clear view to the east, I saw the pall of smoke from a developing wildfire and the glow from the flames lighting it from below. Given California’s drought, the late point in the dry season, and the number of other fires in this area, I was quite concerned about what might be happening.

I got up well before dawn the next morning and as I headed down canyon toward Mono Lake there was just a bit of smoke in the air. As I came around the final bend before the junction with US 395, however, I could see that there was a very dark cloud to the southeast and that layers of smoke were starting to drift across the surface of Mono Lake in the pre-dawn light. My first though was a bit of disappointment that the smoke was likely to interfere with my photography plans, but this was quickly replaced by the realization that I was starting to see some very special and unusual conditions as the dawn approached. I found a high place and went to work photographing abstract and soft patterns composed of the reflecting surface of Mono Lake, the drifting smoke bands, and the partially obscured distant mountains.

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

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

Pacific Ocean, Light Beams

November 27, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Light beams shine through breaking storm clouds onto the surface of the Pacific Ocean, Northern California

I remain intrigued by ocean horizons, which take on an amazing range of appearances depending on the effects of light and atmosphere. The horizon might be a distinct line, it could be (and was on this day) broken by distant swells and breakers, it fade in fog and mist to the point where it is almost invisible, or it may actually be invisible the obscured by fog or rain.

On this afternoon almost every one of those conditions appeared at one time or another. As rain squalls moved onshore, the view of the water and horizon was periodically blocked, only to be lit by brilliant bands of sunlight moments later as the clouds opened. Late in the afternoon, as the sun lowered toward the horizon, the atmosphere became back-lit and began to glow, especially in spots where the rain was still falling. At times beams of light (“God Light,” to use the common photographic description) came through the clouds, passed though slightly opaque mist and rain, and lit the surface of the water.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Crew Members, Staten Island Ferry

November 16, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Two crew members against a railing in morning light on the Staten Island Ferry, New York, City

The photograph is something I grabbed while riding the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to the island. It is almost a bit embarrassing to admit this in retrospect, but I made the photograph while the whole family was on the ferry on the way to the wedding of our youngest son. They hired an actual wedding photographer — there were two of them, actually — but, of course, I could not leave my camera behind. I had been making a lot of informal photographs of the wedding party when I saw these two guys against the orange-painted steel of the ferry.

Technically the photograph was a little bit tricky. Not only were parts of the scene in deep shadow, but the two figures were backlit and the sunlight on the urban landscape beyond was extremely bright. I exposed to (barely!) keep a bit of detail in those bright areas, planning to bring the shadow details back in post. Amazingly, it worked! :-)

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: light

Morning, Wildfire Smoke

Pacific Ocean, Light Beams

Crew Members, Staten Island Ferry

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