Tag Archives: light

Photographs: Nature

Japanese Maple, Spring

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Japanese Maple, Spring
“Japanese Maple, Spring” — New spring growth on a Japanese maple tree, Hakone Gardens.

We have a couple of Japanese maple trees that we planted many years ago at our home. (We thought they were small trees, but we now know from practical experience that they can grow to be very large!) They are beautiful trees, with lovely green foliage that is thick enough to provide deep shade in summer. They produce beautiful fall colors, and their seeds “fly” though the air — our kids called them “helicopter” seeds.

I photographed this branch of a Japanese maple during our spring visit to the Hakone Estate and Gardens, where there is a beautiful Japanese garden. We were there to celebrate the cherry blossoms, but there was much more to see as we wandered the grounds as the day ended and evening arrived.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature

A Spring Garden

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A Spring Garden
“A Spring Garden” — A green corner of the Japanese garden at Hakone Estate and Gardens.

In early spring we found time to spend an evening at the Hakone Estate and Gardens, where a celebration of spring in general and cherry blossoms specifically was taking place. One can go there at almost any time of day, but evenings are special. We arrived in late afternoon light and then, as we wandered the garden, the light faded to sunset and then twilight as colorful lights came on to illuminate the cherry trees.

Of course, there is much more to see there than just the cherry trees. The buildings of the estate are fascinating, there are pools and streams, bridges, and also sorts of flooring plants, bushes, and trees. In one corner of the garden, on a hilly path, I came upon this corner filled with extremely lush spring plants.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Deserted Street, Orvieto

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Deserted Street, Orvieto
“Deserted Street, Orvieto” — A narrow, deserted street in the Italian hill town of Orvieto.

It can be a challenge to photograph these narrow streets without people in a popular town such as Orvieto. One strategy is to photograph late in the day and even into the evening, but sometimes an even more promising approach is to go out very early. Most of the tourists aren’t out then, instead sleeping in before a leisurely breakfast in the morning or sitting in a restaurant in the evening. The difference is even greater in Orvieto, where many of the visitors only come for the day, heading back to their “home base” for the evening.

All of the streets here are narrow, but this is an even narrower side street. Unlike the familiar American grid street layout, there the narrow passageways curve and twist and take off in surprising directions. Several things in this photograph intrigue me. First, essentially everything you see is stone masonry, from the cobbled path to the walls and arches. Second, I suspect that these arches serve multiple purposes — both as passageways and to brace the facing buildings.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Mountains and Lake Manly

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Desert Mountains and Lake Manly
“Desert Mountains and Lake Manly — Morning light on desert mountains with flow patterns in the distance.

This photograph might be a bit disorienting. I wonder what you see at first? Some desert mountains with an unusual sky in the background? But what to make of that white area at the far right? And then, what kind of “sky” are we looking at? If I’m right, at some point you might have a bit of difficulty putting all of these elements together into a whole that makes sense. There is an explanation…

I photographed from a ridge-top location in the mountains east of Death Valley. Although my initial goal was to photograph some other distant mountains at sunrise, I stuck around as the sun climbed higher. Eventually it was high enough that it began to illuminate the outcroppings on the slopes below me. Their contours lead down to the eastern edge of Death Valley and, this year, the shoreline of Lake Manly. That “sky” in the photograph is a shallow section of the lake, and the streams are submerged channels.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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