Tag Archives: monochrome

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

Badlands, Desert Valley

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Badlands, Desert Valley
The view across eroded badlands hill and up a broad wash toward desert mountains.

Badlands, Desert Valley. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view across eroded badlands hills and up a broad wash toward desert mountains.

This scene has intrigued and challenged me for quite a while, and this is certainly not the first time I have photographed it. I is near an area where I frequently photograph in Death Valley, and for a variety of reasons I typically arrive at this spot after completing work in nearly locations. The view opens suddenly from a high perspective at a turn in the route, and I hardly ever pass without stopping.

As can be the case in the desert landscape distance, atmospheric contact, lighting, and subjects of low contrast are both pluses and minuses. Landscapes that may look well-defined in person are not always easy to translate to a photograph. This time I decided to render this subject in monochrome, which gives me more control over some of these parameters and try to register the depth of 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Distant Mountains

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Distant Mountains
The east escarpment of the Panamint Range rises above Death Valley Hills in morning light.

Distant Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The east escarpment of the Panamint Range rises above Death Valley Hills in morning light.

As I keep saying when I post Death Valley photographs (yeah, broken record…) the distances there are immense. As a result, atmospheric haze often has a distinct effect on photographs of the larger landscape. This can be challenging — the effect on colors is not always attractive. But it also can enhance the sense of depth in the image. A friend of mine refers to the effect as “atmospheric recession,” though I understand that the better known term may be “atmospheric perspective.” The colors shift, contrast decreases, and fine details can be diminished.

This photograph clearly makes use of the effect. I was photographing across Death Valley from an elevate position with a very long focal length. The low foreground hills are a good distance away, but not so far that they are strongly affected by haze — thus the greater contrast and especially the dark shadows. But the lower slopes of the Panamint are many miles away, and the haze has a big effect of their appearance.

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: Still Life, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Lattice Fence

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Lattice Fence
“Lattice Fence ” — Detail view of lattice fence.

Believe it or not, I have been trying to photograph this bit of fence of several years. It isn’t that it has been a major goal for me, but every time we visit this place I end up trying to make a picture of it. It is one of those subjects that seems like it should be simple to photograph, but then it turns out to be anything but. Part of the issue is that the symmetry that attracts me to its form creates some compositional issues.

I’m more pleased with the version I came up with on this visit. I bypassed some color challenges (the colors aren’t exactly striking) by going with a monochromatic rendition. Some thin clouds softened the light — although the subject is under trees, often there is either a bit of direct light on it or, worse, on the stuff in the background. And this time that background was in soft, deep shade.

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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

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Winter Pond, Birds and Fog

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Winter Pond, Birds and Fog
Thick tule fog obscures the view of a winter pond, a small island, and birds in flight.

Winter Pond, Birds and Fog. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Thick tule fog obscures the view of a winter pond, a small island, and birds in flight.

From time to time I make the point that there is always an element of serendipity in nature photography — no matter how much we calculate and plan, in the end there are always things that we cannot control. This photograph is a fine example. I “knew” there would be no fog when I traveled to this location last week. And when I arrived there was none — the sky was almost completely clear in the hours after sunrise. Then, to my astonishment, tule fog spontaneously developed, and within a half hour the area was socked in.

But that’s not the only unanticipated good luck in this photograph. The active flock of red-winged blackbirds just happened to show up on a small island of reeds where I was, at just the right distance to let the fog mute their forms but not render them invisible. They remained just long enough for me to make a few exposures before they departed.

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 | Twitter | 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.