A few years ago three of us explored a long section of narrow canyon in Utah, looking for photographs in this rich landscape. We started in a broad valley where a stream flowed between low hills, but soon the walls rose and steepened and the valley narrowed, and we found ourselves following a creek. The canyon was alternately wide and then narrow and constricted.
Continue reading Autumn Trees, Canyon Wall
Deserts offer few clues about the scale of the landscape. Unlike forest scenes, where trees often provide a frame of reference, plants play a lesser role. Even when there are plants it can be unclear from a distance whether they are large trees or small shrubs. Here the inclusion of the human figure clarifies the scale of the grand Utah red rock landscape.
Continue reading Photographer, Canyon Country
Cedar Breaks seems to me a bit of an odd spot. It sits on the edge of a high ridge in Utah just south of the Brian Head ski area. While it is spectacular, it is small, and and out of the way, and I think that it gets a bit lost by comparison to the other iconic parks of the state. In fact, it wasn’t a primary destination for us either — it was near a convenient place to spend a few nights on our way between California and points east of here.
But what it lacks in size and fame, it makes up for in spectacular features. A gigantic west-facing gash cuts into the summit of a high plateau. (The difference between that gentle plateau and this feature is remarkable.) Rather than the gigantic solid masses of sandstone found in places like Zion, Capitol Reef, and Arches, here the terrain is softer and the strata seem thinner, giving it a very different character.
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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
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.
This was a spectacular day in Northern Arizona. We were most of the way through a visit of several weeks to Southern Utah, and we had departed Moab that morning. Our plan was to go back via the route through northern Arizona and make it to Springdale, Utah by the end of the day. As we left Utah and started west across Arizona there were spectacular clouds and intermittent heavy showers.
As we approached this area, with its famous buttes, spires, and towers, a heavy shower passed between us that the distant scenery. At first I was disappointed, as it obscured the clear view I was expecting. But in the end, I think that this curtain or rain produced a sense of mystery that is not so present in a typical sharp and clear photograph.
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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
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.