Tag Archives: morning

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

Canyon and Strata

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Canyon and Strata
A desert wash in a winding badlands canyon leads toward contrasting strata, Death Valley National Park.

Canyon and Strata. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A desert wash in a winding badlands canyon leads toward contrasting strata, Death Valley National Park.

This juxtaposition of very dark and very light layers in this badlands terrain has long fascinated me. Often the contrasts among the various layers are relatively subtle, even where obvious colors are involved — but here we see nearly the darkest forms right next to some of the lightest. The material in the foreground is perhaps closer to the typical coloration.

There is a lot to look at in terrain like this, especially when viewed from a slight elevation. In some ways the largest forms mimic and expand on the smallest. Tiny irregularities combine to produce larger versions of themselves, and then these combine to produce larger gullies, which themselves collect together to form that great washes that drain the landscape.

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, Photographs: Southern California

Morning in the Dunes

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Morning in the Dunes
Soft morning light and subtle colors on sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Morning in the Dunes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Soft morning light and subtle colors on sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

The quality of the light among the sand dunes makes all the difference. The dunes themselves are, to a great extent, a visual blank slate. The interesting things we see there are defined by that light — its angle, brightness, color, intensity, and more. The same scene could look cold in blue hour light, warm during the golden hour, harsh and almost colorless at midday, or very subtle under soft light — and there are more variations on these themes than I can possibly list here.

We visited several dune areas on this visit to Death Valley National Park. We wandered out into these dunes one morning, arriving before sunrise and then continuing to photograph as the sun rose and the light gradually transitioned towards the less-interesting daylight qualities. High clouds greatly softened the light and decreased the contrast in the scene, and we found ourselves watching and waiting for even slight increases in brightness and directional light.

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 | 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, Photographs: Southern California

Fractalscape

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Fractalscape
Complex and highly detailed erosion patterns combine with pastel colors in a Death Valley landscape.

Fractalscape. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Complex and highly detailed erosion patterns combine with pastel colors in a Death Valley landscape.

I could probably write a chapter about this photograph, including ideas about color, geology, light, figuring out how to “see” particular places, and more. I’ll keep it simple though, and only briefly mention a few things. This is a photograph from an area of Death Valley that I had previously written off as being — wait for it! — “uninteresting.” This is not the first time that I’ve had to eat my words about such evaluations after going back and realizing that the problem wasn’t the landscape — it was me!

The light was rather special — the “first light” of early morning, with its warm tones, but it was also softened and diffused by high clouds. This briefly revealed some unusual pastel colors in the formations They contrasted with the blue tones in the shadows. The scene also reveals the highly detailed and “fractal” nature of landscapes like this, where the bigger elements can be seen as larger versions of the smallest details.

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 | 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: Southern California

Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning

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Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning
The dark mass of rugged desert mountains stands beyond badlands lit by morning sun, Death Valley National Park.

Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The dark mass of rugged desert mountains stands beyond badlands lit by morning sun, Death Valley National Park.

Some landscapes speak to me immediately, but others may not resonate at first or even for a long time. I made this photograph in a location in the latter category. While I find the desert endlessly interesting, especially in Death Valley, there are a few places that I just don’t get. In many situations they are, like this specific area, popular places where “everyone goes.” I have no issue with locations achieving iconic status, but sometimes I don’t see what the fuss is about. Recently an offhand remark by a friend got me thinking about this area again. On two recent trips I spent some time there, trying to see it with new eyes. This photograph is one of the products of that effort.

The photograph is also an example of the importance of the nature of the light, particularly in the subtle desert landscape. The contrast between the foreground badlands hills and the distant slopes of an immense desert mountain range does not always (or even usually) look like this. Here a combination of warm, early morning light coming from the side and thin high clouds that muted the light on the mountains greatly increased the contrast between foreground and background.

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 | 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. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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