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

Erosion Patterns in Afternoon Light, Zabriskie Point

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Erosion Patterns in Afternoon Light, Zabriskie Point
Erosion Patterns in Afternoon Light, Zabriskie Point

Erosion Patterns in Afternoon Light, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. March 29, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Slightly overcast afternoon light on erosion patterns in the Gower Gulch area of Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

After posting such a long string of close views of the hills at Zabriskie Point… it is starting to become difficult to say much original and new about the photographs in this series! This one was made rather late in the afternoon – about 4:00 p.m. – when the light is usually still too harsh and bright for most photography here. Fortunately, some high and thin clouds diffused the light a bit – but still didn’t take the light too far in the soft direction.

It perhaps goes without saying that this another in my series of long-lens studies of small elements of the large and iconic scene at this location. I’ve photographed this particular bit of folded geology before, and I’m still interested in the combination of soft, almost organic shapes and the crazy patterns of lines and shapes heading every which way. From lower left to upper right the lines shift almost completely.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 200mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 second

keywords: gower, gulch, zabriskie, point, erosion, gully, ridge, hill, crack, dirt, curve, fold, geology, shadow, light, afternoon, overcast, diffuse, death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, detail, stock

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

Pelican Flock in Flight

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Pelican Flock in Flight
Pelican Flock in Flight

Pelican Flock in Flight. Near Davenport, California. May 15, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of pelicans in flight over the Pacific Coast near Davenport, California.

Since I’ve recently posted other photographs of pelican flocks along the Pacific coast of California, I’ll keep the commentary shorter on this one. While driving along Highway One just north of Davenport, California – close to Waddell Creek, actually – I noticed a spot that looked ideal for photographing shorebirds: a place where the land extended a bit further toward the ocean and where access to the to top of the high bluff was fairly easy. The birds often fly along the tops of these bluffs, I assume because they can coast in the updraft created by wind coming off the ocean. If I am patient and/or lucky a flock may pass by very close to me. It still isn’t easy to get a photograph – there are a number of challenges: if the birds are below me the camera wants to focus on the water or the rocks beyond the birds, tracking a flock of moving birds that fills the viewfinder is no easy thing, not all birds are equally photogenic (depends on position, health of the bird, etc.), and I have to be able to anticipate their appearance and then react instantly.

This flock was very cooperative! They were so kind as to arrange themselves in an appealing formation – and to make sure that “everyone can see the camera!” They also made a slight turn toward the coast, allowing be to see their heads and eyes. And their passage was relatively slow and predictable.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1000 second

keywords: pelican, bird, sea, pelagic, shore, ocean, coast, davenport, california, usa, north america, nature, fauna, wildlife, flock, group, bill, wing, water, pacific, fly, flight, brown, stock

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

Headlands Near Davenport

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Headlands Near Davenport
Headlands Near Davenport

Headlands Near Davenport. California Coast. May 15, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Foggy sky along the coastal headlands near Davenport, California.

I stopped along the edge of the bluff at a spot on the California Coast Highway (highway 1) where I know that I can photograph seabirds as they cruise just feet away from the top of the cliff. Although my attention was first on the birds, I was also aware of the expansive views of the coastline from this high spot on the road, and I thought that the glowing fog-filled sky to the southwest might be worth photographing. I decided to place the horizon very low in the frame and expose so that the thin line of coastal bluffs extending into the frame from the left would be much darker than the water or the sky.

While I had a pretty good idea that this would end up as a black and white photograph – the colors in the foggy and gray conditions were not that special – I wasn’t certain when I made the exposure of just what I would do with it in post. As soon as I opened the file though I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. In the end, for an image that might seem so simple, this photograph required quite a bit of post-processing work.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 200mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/120 second

keywords: davenport, california, usa, north america, headlands, bluff, coast, shore, surf, wave, horizon, fog, clouds, cliff, rocky, ocean, sea, shoreline, highway, one, black and white, monochrome, landscape, seascape, travel, scenic, nature, beach, shoal, minimal, sky, stock

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

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light

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Erosion Patterns, Morning Light
Erosion Patterns, Morning Light

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light. Death Valley National Park, Californa. March 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Eroded and folded patterns of gullies and rounded hills in morning light – Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Part of the recent series of photographs of details of the amazing landforms around Zabriskie Point, this image includes a small section where the folds of the earth line up one behind the other almost like waves – albeit rather soft and rounded waves. This was shot during the “best light” period of early morning when the light from the rising sun angles across these shapes, here softened a bit by some high clouds that were present in this morning.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 210mm
ISO 200, f/14, 1/125 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, gower, wash, zabriskie, light, shadow, pattern, fold, earth, geology, abstract, landscape, nature, desert, rounded, gully, hill, stock