Tag Archives: national

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Utah Dawn Sky

December 24, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cloudy sky at sunrise above the high country of Capitol Reef National Park

This photograph came from a particularly productive morning shoot near Capitol Reef National Park. We had decided to get up early and head down the east side of the park along a lengthy gravel road, with the eventual goal of either exploring a slot canyon or going up high on the ridge to the west of the water pocket fold valley. We drove east through the park in pre-dawn darkness, but as we left the park and started to head south the sun was just coming up. It soon became apparent that a special sunrise might be in store for us, so we quickly found a place with some broad views and stopped and got out.

The morning conditions were a bit unusual and quite special. To our west the sky was darkened by some slightly ominous looking clouds — the sort that seemed to have the potential for bringing rain later in the day. Far to the east there appeared to be enough breaks in the cloud cover to allow some dawn sunlight through, and we hoped that the foreground peaks of Capitol Reef might be lit against this darker sky. In fact, that is precisely what happened very soon after we arrived. I chose the vertical format for this photograph, minimizing the size of the brilliantly lit slopes ascending toward the peaks, so that I could emphasize the ominous quality of this dark sky.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Redrock Valley and Potholes, Evening

December 23, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A string of potholes descends along the bottom of a red rock valley in evening light

We had spent perhaps a couple of hours photographing this landscape, starting in the early evening when there was still direct light from the sun through high, thin clouds, and then continuing as the sun dropped behind the tall ridge to our west. There was a lot to photograph in this red rock landscape, and we alternated between working slowly when the light became less vibrant and working quickly when it momentarily become luminous.

As the evening continued and the sun set, things slowed down and the photographic work seemed to lead toward an inevitable and quiet conclusion as we spent more time just looking or talking with one another. I didn’t feel like I was quite done with this particular landscape yet, and I found myself near the top of this curving red rock valley that led past a series of potholes and into a narrow gap toward the flatlands below as the last post-sunset glow turned the scene red.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Cottonwoods, Red Rock Cliffs

December 22, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cottonwood trees with autumn leaves along the Fremont River at the base of red rock cliffs

This was a long day of photography, beginning before dawn with a drive to the east side of Capitol Reef National Park for dawn photograph and then down toward the Burr Trail to explore some highland locations a bit later. We returned to our camp in the middle of the day for lunch (which, if I recall correctly, may have been a pie from the little shop near the campground!), a bit of camp business, followed by heading back out again for late-day photography.

We didn’t get far. We again headed east — I don’t recall now what the plan, if any, actually was — but we soon were distracted by subjects nearby along the road passing through the park: cottonwood and box elder trees in fall colors, the red sandstone cliffs, jumbles of rocks fallen from the canyon walls, and the Fremont River flowing through the canyon. Shortly before sunset we simply pulled over, go out, and headed of in individual directions to photograph until the light failed. This scene includes a small group of very colorful cottonwood trees growing along the edge of the Fremont River at the base of the red rock cliffs.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cottonwood Trees, Potholes

December 22, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cottonwood trees grow in potholes in the curving sandstone terrain

In the evening of our first day camped in this somewhat remote Utah location, we left camp and headed to a nearby sandstone landscape featuring the sorts of gullies, potholes, rounded domes, steep inclines, and curving patterns that are so common in this part of the world. Later we would walk further into the landscape, but on this first evening we only had time for a short visit.

The group walked up a steep slope and came to a landscape that is perhaps familiar to many who know this region, with some features that are often photographed by those who visit. The light was “complicated” — at times a beautiful glow came through high, thin clouds, but at times the cover thickened enough to truly mute the light. It is tempting — unavoidable, actually — to photograph certain subjects here in the ways that I have seen before. On the other hand, I also like to see such subjects for what they are and not just for what others seen in them. Wandering around the curving sandstone and skirting the edges of large potholes, I looked for juxtapositions of these rounded shapes with variations in color and with the cottonwood trees that grow sparsely here. The foreground tree seems to be at just about the peak of autumn color, even though the other tree a short distance away is still almost completely green.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: national

Utah Dawn Sky

Redrock Valley and Potholes, Evening

Autumn Cottonwoods, Red Rock Cliffs

Cottonwood Trees, Potholes

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