Tag Archives: mosaic

Duomo Facade, Orvieto

Duomo Facade, Orvieto
“Duomo Facade, Orvieto” — The highly detailed facade of the Orvieto Duomo.

It seems like almost every Italian town has its duomo, or cathedral. All that I’ve seen are impressive, but some have especially notable features. This one is in Orvieto, a lovely hill town in Umbria. Oddly, even through we were dropped off very near this cathedral when we arrived, it wasn’t until later that we finally took the time to visit it. The inside is very interesting, but it seems to me that the ornate work on the exterior is the most impressive.

The detail is remarkable, from the sculpted shapes to the statuary to the beautiful mosaics. It is hard to imagine the amount of craftsmanship and artistic talent that must have gone into producing it. Almost any square foot of the exterior would be remarkable on its own, but the fact that it covers so much space is almost unbelievable.


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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Interior, Duomo di Siena

Interior, Duomo di Siena
“Interior, Duomo di Siena” — An elevated view of the of the interior of the Duomo di Siena.

When we travel we prefer finding our own way over relying on guided travel. In our experience, a big part of the value of travel comes from things like feeling somewhat out of your element, encountering unanticipated things and events, and even just devoting some time to wandering. However, there are times and places when paying for guided access can get you to place that are otherwise inaccessible. That’s how we ended up on a guided tour of Siena’s Duomo, one that took us high up into the upper reaches of this remarkable structure.

I made the photograph on this tour. As we crossed over from one side of the roof area to the other we passed a portal into the cathedral, and it provided a remarkable perspective on the interior and, far below, the floor of the duomo. (One other advantage of this tour? It started well before the crowds 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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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon

Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon
Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon

Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon. Death Valley National Park, California. March 27, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Folded and twisted rock forms in Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, California.

Although this formation is found very near the entrance to the canyon, on this visit I also managed to wander further up the canyon than I have in the past, discovering very different and far more open terrain that what I had seen before. Mosaic Canyon, a short drive up the hill from Stovepipe Wells, is known for its very narrow and twisty lower section, its access to higher regions of the Mount Tucki area, and the striking and unusual rock formations laid bare by erosion from water traveling down the canyon in past floods.

In the lower canyon there is a section where this beautifully banded rock runs alongside the trail. Sometimes that patterns are a bit hard to see, but this time it appeared that recent rains and the soft afternoon shaded light brought them out a bit more. This section featured ribbon-like folds in the surface of the rock that must have been created by water erosion.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 105mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/8 second

keywords: death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, scenic, travel, nature, desert, mosaic, canyon, trail, rock, pattern, fold, twist, geology, groove, curve, crack, pink, abstract, texture, nature, erosion, travel, scenic, stock

Photographing Death Valley – Part 1

This material concerning Death Valley is unavailable while revisions are underway. Thanks for your understanding. In the meantime, I will respond to comments left on this page.

(Update 3/22/13: The planned update to this article has been long-delayed, and for that I apologize. It turns out that the way I want to approach the subject in the revised version is a bit more complicated than I expected. I had anticipated completing an update in early 2013, but I decided to wait until after this year’s shoot in Death Valley so that I would write with that experience fresh in my mind.)

Also, more (but not all!) of my Death Valley photography is found here: https://gdanmitchell.com/gallery/v/NaturalWorld/TheLandscape/Desert/DeathValley/

(Note: After a conversation with a friend who is a retired Yosemite ranger, in which he articulately explained why he has concerns about sharing overly specific information about sensitive and fragile places too widely, I have decided to revise this article about photographing Death Valley. The goal is to remove some of the unnecessarily specific details about places that don’t need a lot more publicity, and to let photographers who are new this wonderful park learn about it the way I did and continue to do – by slowly exploring and adding to my knowledge and experience of the place rather than looking for a quick list of the “great shots.” I hope you’ll understand.

© Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.