Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Valley to Mountains

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Valley to Mountains
An expansive view of rugged Death Valley National Park desert mountain landscape.

Valley to Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An expansive view of rugged Death Valley National Park desert mountain landscape.

I don’t think most people think of Death Valley as a “mountain park” along the lines of Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia-Kings Canyon and similar places. Most of the popular routes and sights are in valleys, including the great one that gives the park its name. But there are mountains, spectacular and very tall mountains, and it is possible to venture into them. This view comes from a place high in the Panamint Range, to the west of the main valley, topped by 11,000+’ Telescope Peak.

I made the photograph close to sunset, when long shadows began to highlight the textures of the terrain. This high perspective reveals features that are difficult to fully appreciate close-up. For example, it is very hard to get a sense of that remarkable terrain formed by flowing water at the bottom of the frame. Desert mountains rise behind, and beyond them is the Amargosa Valley and even more distant mountains.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Pelicans and Coastal Bluffs

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Pelicans and Coastal Bluffs
A line of pelicans flies toward bluffs along California’s Pacific coastline.

Pelicans and Coastal Bluffs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A line of pelicans flies toward bluffs along California’s Pacific coastline.

Brown pelicans seem to have made a solid comeback along the California coast, though I understand that they are susceptible to the avian flu that has affected many wild bird species this season. They are usually easy to find along the California coast, where they can often be spotted gliding along next to bluffs or just above the surf. (Photography hint: Look for places along bluffs and peninsulas where they pass close to the land.)

They sometimes can surprise me. I’ve been out along the coast on a day when they didn’t seem plentiful, only to have a large group like this one suddenly appear and glide past. If I recall, when I saw these birds coming I had the wrong lens on the camera. I made the fastest lens change I could, raised the camera, and had just a barely enough time to photograph them above these coastal bluffs.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

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

Cormorant Colony II

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Cormorantn Colony II
Cormorant colony and rookery on a rocky prominese, Point Lobos.

Cormorant Colony II. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Cormorant colony and rookery on a rocky prominese, Point Lobos.

This cormorant breeding colony was on a rocky prominence a short distance away from a trail I followed along a coastal bluff. Perhaps the birds felt safer with an uncrossable gulf between us. In any case, they mostly went about their business even though I was close enough to photograph them, positioned on the rock above Monterey Bay on a foggy morning.

Not all of their activities made sense to me, though some did. Half the birds were adults and half were (very large!) juveniles — the latter visible by means of their mottled feathers, their shorter beaks, and their incessant “feed me!” clamoring. From time to time one of the adults would arrive with a prize and the young birds became very interested!

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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: Northern California

Valley, Spring

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Valley, Spring
A California valley during the “impossibly green” season.

Valley, Spring. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A California valley during the “impossibly green” season.

To be perfectly honest, this is a bit of a “record shot” — a photograph made at least as much to record something as to have an aesthetic effect. The location is a park not far from where I live, a place where I have hiked and photographed for several decades. It is part of my “outdoors backyard,” a place where I almost feel a sense of ownership now. I’ve even made other photographs from almost this precise location, though in rather different (and more dramatic) conditions.

The photograph is also a record of a California phenomenon, what some have called the ‘impossibly green season” — that amazing annual eruption of grasses and other plants in a typically dry landscape. At a time when much of the country is deep in winter, many places in California turn more green than you can imagine.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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