Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Agriculture, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Sheep Pasture, Loch Ness

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Sheep Pasture, Loch Ness
“Sheep Pasture, Loch Ness” — Sheep in a pasture on the Great Glen Way above Loch Ness near Drumnadrochit, Scotland.

Near the end of this day’s walk on the Great Glen Way we passed through, around, and between a series of sheep pastures. Americans used to hiking in “wilderness” learn that hiking here is a different experience — you pass through towns, occasionally walk on narrow roads, cross logged areas, and encounter livestock. While I love our American wilderness, I have to say that there’s something quite nice about this landscape, too. (Perhaps not the least: a comfortable bed and nice meals every evening!)

This was one of the two longest days of our trek — in some ways it felt like the longest. We had arrived in Lewiston, next door to the town of Drumnadrochit, the evening before. Instead of walking to the next town (mainly because there isn’t one!) the plan was to start a distance north and hike back to our lodgings. It was quite a varied day. In the first mile or so we passed a rural cafe, a nature center, and then climbed stiffly out of the forest and into barren highlands. We may have reached the highest point of the walk here at a place with panoramic views and extremely strong winds. From here we descended back into forest for a long walk toward the shores of Loch Ness. In sight of the loch, it seemed like we were near our goal, but we still had miles to go.

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: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Telford Bridge, River Moriston

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Telford Bridge, River Moriston
“Telford Bridge, River Moriston” — The River Moriston flows past the historic Telford Bridge at Invermoriston, Scotland.

We came to the historic Telford Bridge at the end of a long day on the Great Glen Way walk, as we entered the small town of Invermoriston. There were a few surprises at the end of the day. For one, as we came down the last hill the town appeared to be right in front of us, but then the route headed off to the right to take us to bridge across the river. Soon after the crossing we came to the Telford Bridge. All in all, it was a wonderful walk, full of cloudy views of Loch Ness and the Scottish countryside.

The name of the bridge refers to the same Thomas Telford who conceived of the Caledonian Canal connecting Inverness and Fort William, along with many other projects in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The original bridge was constructed over the River Morriston in 1839. (The current structure dates to 1913.) As a side note, seeing the River Moriston flowing past the town of Invermoriston as we walked toward Invernes… a mental lightbulb came on and I wondered, “What does ‘inver’ mean, and why does it keep showing up in place names?” In turns to that an inver is a place where bodies of water (typically a lake and a river) meet.

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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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Headlands and Fog

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Headlands and Fog
“Headlands and Fog” — Morning fog obscures te Pacific Ocean beyond Point Lobos headlands.

Point Lobos can be a place of wildly diverse conditions — from powerful winter storms that cast driftwood onto the shoreline to quiet warm-season days of sunshine. But more often things lie between the extremes… and typically involve fog. Summer visitors to “sunny California” are often surprised to discover that the sun’s appearance can be quite a bit less frequent along the coast, even when it is sunny inland. This Point Lobos visit was on a day of particularly persistent fog that stuck anround into the mid-afternoon.

This headlands terrain is found in several locations at Point Lobos, but especially along the northern portion of the park. Here the cliffs are taller and steeper and the land is open to the swell from the northwest, producing a rugged and dramatic shoreline. In this scene Monterey cypress trees survive on the rocky terrain just above the surf, and the small island on the left is populated by resting (and perhaps nesting?) cormorants.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Monterey Cypress, Fog

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Monterey Cypress, Fog
“Monterey Cypress, Fog” — Summer fog drifts across monterey cypress trees at Point Lobos State Reserve.

This was a wonderful morning at Point Lobos in more than one way. It was my escape from the oppressive inland heat — here is was 58 degrees with thick fog rolling across the landscape. It was not at all crowded, at least not at first, since I managed to arrive when the reserve opened. I spent the morning ambling slowly along trails near bluffs along the north shore, where Monterey cypress trees cling to the edges of the cliffs above the ocean.

This photograph was more of a challenge than it might appear. The textures and colors of the trees were quite attractive, but the gently glowing fog was quite a lot brighter. This is one of those photographs that I expose for what I intend to do in post, and not to try to “capture” the literal scene in the camera. I was faced with the (common) challenge of an extremely wide dynamic range, so I exposed for the bright fog and planned to bring back the details in the shadows among the trees in post.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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