Tag Archives: mountains

Stovepipe Dunes, Evening

April 7, 2008 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

Early evening light softly illuminates folded terrain of the Stovepipe Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California.

I’m just back from a four-day trip to Death Valley and this first photo I’ve posted is also one of the first I took – on the first evening after I arrived in the park.

keywords: death valley, national park, stovepipe, wells, sand, dunes, evening, twilight, plants, folds, mountains, waves, ripples, soft, light, desert, grapevine, california, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, stock

Photographs: Central California

Spring Morning, Calero Hills

April 2, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

This is a stitch of four 12MP frames, the result being a highly detailed image that should hold up as a 2′ x 4′ print. (It is probably getting a bit “old” to hear me reporting that the actual image contains far more detail that can possibly be shown in a web-sized image… so I won’t. :-)

This photograph was made along a familiar trail – actually a bit off the familiar trail – in a park I frequently visit in the southern portion of Santa Clara County.

keywords: spring, morning, scene, calero, hills, park, santa clara, county, new, leaves, grass, trees, branches, valley, hills, blue, sky, clouds, mountains, nature, landscape, scenic, panorama, oak, buds, log, ridge, grassland, forest, stock, santa cruz mountains, loma prieta, peak

Photographs: Yosemite

Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley

March 31, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. February 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I’m always looking for different views of the famous – and quite obvious – subjects in The Valley such as Yosemite Falls. Here I was intrigued by the shapes of leafless winter trees with snow in the foreground and the falls and cliffs in the background.

Normally, one would probably regard this as a poorly lit photo of the falls. However, at least in my view, the effect is to treat the typically-central waterfall as part of the background and instead draw attention to the forms of the trees, whose shapes echo the curves of the cliffs and the shadow line across the falls.

keywords: California, Landscape, National Park, Place, Travel, Valley, Winter, Yosemite, valley, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, snow, meadow, merced, river, trees, bare, tracks, footprints, cliff, mountains, rocks, fall, falls, blue sky, lost arrow, ice, sun, light, stock

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

March 21, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

I spent a few hours on this cold, clear July evening photographing the light of the full moon, star trails, and reflections on the surface of Thousand Island Lake.

When using a digital camera to make such long exposures one must adopt a very patient attitude. First, find the spot for your photograph and set everything up in the dark. Then make an exposure of perhaps 15 minutes. Because DSLRs are subject to noise on these long exposures, you then wait another 15 minutes while the camera completes a “dark frame” exposure to determine how to compensate for the noise in the original exposure. Yes, it takes 30 minutes (and lots of battery power!) to make a 15 minute exposure.

You could become impatient. Or you could, as I do, sit back and enjoy the peace and quite of a beautiful moonlit Sierra night.

keywords: thousand, island, lake, cove, shore, surface, reflections, ritter, banner, peak, mount, mountains, alpine, night, black and white, photography, backpacking, john muir, trail, backpacking, landscape, scenic, california, usa, outdoor, stock, ansel adams, wilderness

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: mountains

Stovepipe Dunes, Evening

Spring Morning, Calero Hills

Winter Grove, Yosemite Valley

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.