Tag Archives: night

Update on the Night Photo Shoot at Mare Island

Earlier today I mentioned my disappointment at missing the announcement of this weekend’s night photography shoot at Mare Island sponsored by The Nocturnes, and my hope that I might still be able to join them. Luck was with me and I have confirmation from Tim Baskerville and Susan Nichols that I can take part – so I’ll be there doing the night photography thing tomorrow.


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


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Quick Friday Links and Notes

Catching up on some links and thoughts I’ve been meaning to post during the past few days:

I see that Andy Frazer posted a piece about a book of photographs from ‘The Presidio’ by Charity Vargas and that Tim Baskerville has posted a longer piece on the same topic at his blog.

(Related to the above, I got the first notice yesterday of another night photography adventure at Mare Island Naval Shipyard scheduled for this Saturday… which included a deadline for participants to submit their application that had passed a week ago. I’m rather disappointed about that, as MI is one of my favorite locations for night photography, I’ve photographed there on several occasions with The Nocturnes, and I’ve been looking forward to going back soon. I’m hopeful that someone will reply to my email and let me know that I can still join them…)

Jim M. Goldstein posted a brief story about and links to photos of a sea otter doing something you don’t see every day and he has posted a new podcast of an interview with Aaron Johnson, the creator of the “What the Duck” photography comic.

One notion about “the right way to learn photography” that comes up a lot… and drives me crazy… is the claim that beginners should start with a single prime and stick to it if they want to understand composition and other important issues. The Readers Digest version of my thinking on this is that it was fine advice a few decades ago, but it is now obsolete. In any case, one of the arguments is that those who use zoom lenses instead of a prime are “lazy” and that they should “zoom with their feet.” I’ve been meaning to put together some photographs to go with a post illustrating the problems with this old-fashioned notion. I made the photos a week or so ago, and I hope to finalize this post before long.


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.

What the Heck is Dan Shooting!?

Some of you who like my landscape/nature work may wonder what the heck I’m doing with the “urban photography” that I’ve posted here during the past few weeks. Get ready for more – there are currently about 10 photographs of similar subjects in the pipeline. Perhaps some explanation is in order.

This isn’t really a new thing for me – I’ve posted urban and “industrial” photographs in the past. (See the night photography section in my Gallery for some obvious examples, and also take a look at some of the “City” photographs while you are there.) Quite a few of them are what I think of as urban landscape photography, and to some extent I approach making these photographs much the same way I approach nature and landscape shooting. I wander about looking for stuff that appeals to me, often looking for effects of light, pattern, or color – and then I photograph it.

Besides the obvious subject differences – yes, I do realize that dilapidated buildings are not the same as aspen forests – I shoot differently, at least for some of this photography. While I do sometimes cart a tripod into urban environments, more often I travel light – ironically perhaps, usually lighter than I do when I go out for a weeklong pack trip! I generally do not use a tripod, I virtually never carry all of my lenses, and sometimes I just go out with a prime or two.

I hope you enjoy this change of pace, and that in some way you can see connections to my photographs of the natural world. (There is actually a long philosophical discussion I could have about that very topic, but I’ll spare everyone…) In any case, I’m sure that the flow of landscapes and nature photographs will resume in a week or so.


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.

Muir Woods Winter Solstice 2008

Winter Solstice at Muir Woods

Winter Solstice at Muir Woods. Muir Woods National Monument, California. December 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Last December I first found out about this wonderful annual event at Muir Woods – a winter solstice festival. Although the event starts in the afternoon (officially at 3:00 p.m.), the real fun at sunset and after dark when the trails are lined with luminaria. (Or “candles in paper bags” to those who don’t speak Latin.)

Depending upon the weather, this could be a good day for SF Bay Area photographers to combine winter photography at Muir Woods with a bit of night photography. 

The following information is summarized from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy events listing:

Celebrate the longest night of the year with the tallest trees on earth!

Sunday, December 21, 2008, 3 PM – 8 PM, Muir Woods. Cost: Free

This outdoor program is suitable for all ages and will begin at the Visitor Center…rain or shine. Activities and events include the making of solstice crowns, a stage performance of songs, stories, and puppetry, and walking the trails of Muir Woods lit by luminaria. No reservations required.

This evening can be dark and chilly; we ask visitors to bring a flashlight, dress warmly (layers/blankets), and bring a mug for warm drinks. For details, please call the hotline at (415) 388-2596 as the date approaches.

Unless the weather is really, really awful I plan to be there.