Tag Archives: national

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Springtime Hills

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Springtime Hills
Spring wildflowers, hills, and the Carrizo Plain

Springtime Hills. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring wildflowers, hills, and the Carrizo Plain

In the spring following a wet winter, you can often find excellent wildflower displays all over the state of California — from the deserts to the Sierra foothills and just about anywhere else with some suitable land. I photographed these in hills of south-central California that lie between the Great Central Valley and the valleys that run just inland of the coast ranges.

It had been an excellent year for rainfall here — after five years of crushing drought California had a single winter of record-setting precipitation. The plants took advantage of this, and in many places managed to produce extensive wildflower displays. A few of us hiked up into these hills, and photographed back toward the valley below and the setting sun.

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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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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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

Red Boulder, Evening

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Red Boulder, Evening
A red boulder sits in a desert wash next to eroded mud hills in evening light

Red Boulder, Evening. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A red boulder sits in a desert wash next to eroded mud hills in evening light

There are many things to like about the desert landscape, but in some places (including large areas in Death Valley National Park) I enjoy the fact that the landscape lies exposed to view, not covered or disguised by forest or even much in the way of plant life. I’m also continuously amazed by how obvious it is that water played a big role in shaping this Death Valley landscape — from the shorelines of ancient lakes, to boulder-strewn washes, to playas, the evidence is everywhere.

On this evening I had walked up a quiet — and not too visually exciting — slot canyon, and just before sunset I headed back the way I came and emerged into the wider valley of the wash and then headed towards the valley itself. Along the sides of this was were remnants of landscape modified by flowing water, including this large reddish rock, either deposited here by moving water or perhaps eroded out of the soil on site.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest, Early Evening Light

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Forest, Early Evening Light
Soft, early evening light on forest trees in the Tuolumne River Dana Fork drainage

Forest, Early Evening Light. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Soft, early evening light on forest trees in the Tuolumne River Dana Fork drainage

It was evening, and I had stopped in a familiar location along Tioga Pass Road between Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass, a place where the terrain opens up a bit to offer broader views back to the west and up toward the highest peaks in the area, and above which a rugged peak of fractured granite and talus rises. It is also a place where I can almost always spot deer late in the day.

I made a few photographs of the higher peaks and ridges, then turned my attention to photographing forest vignettes using a long focal length lens. In many places the light was difficult, as it almost front-lit the trees in the most obvious direction. As I paused and looked around I first noticed a skeletal dean tree near this spot and started to pay more attention to the forest itself. It was softly lit by light coming from a cloudy sky, and there was enough diffused light to open up the forest shadows just a bit.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

River and Forest, Evening

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River and Forest, Evening
Evening light along the shores of the Tuolumne River

River and Forest, Evening. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening light along the shores of the Tuolumne River

There are many little rituals that I have developed around making photographs. A few may be mine alone, but I have learned that others also engage in some similar processes. One has to do with the first photographs of any adventure. While sometimes a photograph simply leaps out at me, on other occasions it may take a while to get “warmed up” and start seeing. You have a choice — you can wait for inspiration to strike (sometimes for quite a while), or you can “prime the pump” and start making photographs. I generally prefer the latter.

On this trip I had arrived at my Tuolumne Meadows campsite in the afternoon. I set up camp, did a bunch of the usual camp stuff, then took a nap in order to compensate for getting up hours before dawn for the drive. Then I took a camera-free hike up to Elizabeth Lake. And, yes, once I got there I did regret leaving my camera gear behind! Returning from the hike, it was time to make a quick dinner and go start making photographs. I wandered out into the meadow and made a few quiet images of meadow, river, and forest… and the trip was officially underway.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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