Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Nature

California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass

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California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass
A California golden poppy flower amidst a field of spring grass

California Golden Poppy, Spring Grass. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A California golden poppy flower amidst a field of spring grass.

Everyone knows that the California Golden Poppy is this state’s “official flower.” I suppose there are two primary reasons. First, the flower’s name connects to California’s gold rush history. Second, these flowers are found all over the state, often in extraordinary abundance, especially during the spring following wet winters — which is just what we are experiencing this year. Visitors looking for these flowers often produce near-mob-scenes at some of the best-known locations. The good news is that you can find the flowers everywhere! I found this one in a place not far from my home where I often hike. But I could have found a fine poppy subject on a short neighborhood walk within five minutes of my home!

Perhaps to the surprise of many who try to photograph them, these flowers pose several distinct challenges — and that’s not counting the challenge of getting yourself down low enough on the ground to get up close. The color is so intense that it is easy to over-expose even when your camera tells you that you haven’t, and the result is blown-out loss of detail. (Hint: Underexpose a bit when photographing the poppies.) A second challenge is that the flowers close and night and only open in the morning when hit by sun — making it tricky to photograph them in the more manageable soft light. You could look for one in the shade… or you could make or carry your own shade, which is what I do. Third, the shape of the flower is a challenge, mainly in the depth-of-field realm. In many cases you want to throw the background out of focus in order to bring attention to the flower. However, because the flower doesn’t have a “flat” side, this tends to make parts of the flower out of focus, too. My solution here was to allow that to happen with the further petals, but to make the nearer, sharp petals the visual focus.

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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Photographs: Nature

Desert Mallow Flowers

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Desert Mallow Flowers
Orange desert mallow in bloom, Death Valley National Park

Desert Mallow Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Orange desert mallow in bloom, Death Valley National Park.

Recently I posted another photograph of (literally) this very same branch of this very same plant. That’s a bit unusual when it comes to wildflowers, especially of the sort that often appear in large numbers in the same place. I’m probably more likely in these cases to either share just one or else to share photographs of different flowers. But here, were were in a pretty arid location, a bit before the peak for this flower, and there was only one good and easily accessible plant.

Also a bit unusual in this case, I photographed the flower in direct sunlight, albeit a bit filtered by clouds. It is tricky to make close-up photographs of a color like this in full sun since the intensity of the color can easily become over-saturated, and because the dynamic range difference between bright and dark areas can be so great that it creates a sort of stark effect. I had begun photographing this group of flowers while the sun was obscured by a passing cloud, and my recollection is that I made this image just as the sun was beginning to emerge — producing more directional light but not yet fully bright.

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

Desert Hills and Salt Flats, Morning

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Desert Hills and Salt Flats, Morning
Desert hills on a giant alluvial fan dropping to Death Valley salt flats

Desert Hills and Salt Flats, Morning. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert hills on a giant alluvial fan dropping to Death Valley salt flats.

Each time I visit Death Valley ‚ and when visiting certain other challenging landscapes, I’m reminded that my memories tend to focus on the most pleasant, easiest, and most beautiful scenes… and that there are a lot of intervening periods when the photography can be quite challenging. I had to remind myself of that on this morning, as it began with extremely unpromising light. The sky was largely overcast, there was some bluish haze in the air, and sunrise came with barely any warming of the color at all. But you (almost) never know whether such light may turn into something more interesting… so you try to stick with it and be ready.

A bit later, around the time when I might typically be starting to think of concluding my early morning photography on an easier day, the clouds began to thin and move into better positions, and areas of light started to play across the landscape. As I often do in such conditions, I remained in a high place with a panoramic view of the immense landscape, putting a long lens on the camera so that I could make photographs of small areas where the light seemed more interesting. The dark hills low in the frame sit on the giant alluvial wash leading down to the salt playa of death valley, where the landscape eventually fades into the distant haze.

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

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

Photographs: Nature

White Globe Lily Flower And Buds

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Chinese Lantern Flower And Buds
One white globe lily flower and serveral buds about to bloom

White Globe Lily Flower And Buds. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

One white globe lily flower and several buds about to bloom.

Since a recent post regarding this same type of wildflower went into some detail about it, I’ll try to keep this post a bit shorter. (Note: I wrote “try,” not “promise.” ;-) This is a white globe lily flower, one of my favorites from a local spot that I’ve been visiting for decades, especially in spring, and to which I’ve returned again this spring.

The importance of these “local spots” cannot be over-emphasized. I’ve seen a lot of photographers get trapped by the “I only photograph amazing places” mantra. Some of them, whose naturally busy lives limit the frequency with which they can drop everything and head off to an exotic locale, become frustrated with their photography. I understand — it is important to “do photography” almost continuously in order to produce and maintain the instincts of seeing that are so important. But seeing can happen locally, too. In fact, practicing (a term I know from a life in music) as often as possible, even with subjects that might not be your first choice, is crucially important… and it can be done as close as your own back yard or in your neighborhood.

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 | Facebook | Email

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

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