Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Roadrunner

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Roadrunner, Death Valley
“Roadrunner” — A greater roadrunner, Death Valley National Park.

After more than two-and-a-half decades of visiting Death Valley National Park, you would think that I’d have see quite a few of these birds. But, no, this is the first time I have encountered a roadrunner in the park. Actually, there were two. I arrived at my campsite and was getting my gear out when a couple of them showed up to investigate my stuff.

I was surprised by how close they came. I would have assumed, especially having never run into them here before, that they would have been more shy and cautious. In any case, I grabbed one of my cameras, put a long lens on it, and managed to squeeze off a few photographs before the birds decided to go investigate someone else’s campsite.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Nature

Pink Tulip

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Pink Tulip
“Pink Tulip” — A pink tulip blooms in late winter.

Patty is the real flower and macro photographer in our household, but sometimes I tag along and give it my best shot. There is a large garden on the grounds of an old San Francisco Peninsula estate that is a favorite of hers — she has a membership and visits regularly to photograph whatever is in season. In early March that meant it was tulip season, so I accompanied her for a morning of photographing these (and a few other kinds of) flowers.

We had great conditions for this subject. Direct, harsh sunlight is not your friend when photographing the subtle colors, shapes, and textures of these flowers — and this morning featured overcast, a bit of light rain, occasional muted sunlight, and lots of shady areas. I photographed this tulip in wonderful soft light that tends to fill in shadows and reveal details that would be missing in high contrast light.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Nature

Tulip Bud and Leaves

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Tulip Bud and Leaves
“Tulip Bud and Leaves” — A spring tulip bud, just before blossoming.

While a field of wildly colorful tulips is impressive and hard to resist, I like photographing individual flowers, usually before they are fully bloomed. I love the transition from the early green buds, though the first tentative appearance of the flower’s color, to the moment when the blossom begins to open.

This one is at the state where its eventual color is just starting to appear, taking over from the green early-bud stage. At the upper tip, especially, there is a bit of yellow and a tiny spot of pink. By the way, with this photograph I’m going to do something a little unusual for me: before long I will share a monochrome interpretation of the same image.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Sunset Crowd, Florence

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Sunset Crowd, Florence
“Sunset Crowd, Florence” — People gather on steps at the Piazzale Michangelo to watch the sunset over Florence, Italy.

When traveling there is a fine balance between following the crowd to the iconic, popular sites and sights or striking off on your own to find more obscure things. We kind of like doing the latter, and we often spend a lot of time doing what might look like aimless wandering. But that wandering often gets us to interesting places that might be a bit more obscure. However, sometimes joining the crowd is the right choice, and this was one of those times.

We had been to Florence before and knew about the nightly trek up the hill to the Piazale Michelangelo to watch the sun set over the city. But we had never gone there. This evening seemed like the right time, so we headed up the hill, soon becoming part of a crowd with the same idea — perhaps despite some misgivings we continued and then arrived to find hundreds of people already there. These steps were filled with visitors, and some fellow began to do an impromptu comedy act at the base of the steps. Drinks and snacks were available from vendor carts. Before long everyone began to sing along with a solo street musician at the top of the steps. It was one of the most wonderful, magical moments we’ve had while traveling… and one that only happened because this time we joined the crowd.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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