Tag Archives: north

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cottonwood Grove and Cliff, Autumn

February 11, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A cottonwood grove in golden fall colors, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

In late October these bright yellow-gold cottonwood trees seem to be almost everywhere in Utah, albeit at slightly different stages of color development. Some are still mostly green with just a hint of yellow, while others have lost most of their leaves. From what I can tell, the difference in the pattern of change relate to things such as elevation, whether the trees are in sheltered canyons – in Zion Canyon they seem to change much later – or out in the open, and other causes that I don’t yet understand. One thing I do know: Between the aspens, which change color several weeks earlier, and the cottonwoods it seems like the entire month of October produces a lot of fall color. From what I hear it even extends into November, though I haven’t been there during that month to see it for myself.

On this day we began early with very cold hike into a portion of the Escalante River, which runs for quite a good distance through this section of Utah. Before the day was over we were challenged by strong wind, more cold, and eventually even a bit of light rain, but early on when I made this photograph the conditions were still bit less challenging, at least as far as the wind was concerned. Here the water course ran very close to the cliff wall, and clumps of golden cottonwoods grew between the water and the sandstone face. Although some direct light was beginning to strike the upper canyon walls and reflect light down into the canyon, here at the bottom along the creek the light was still soft and diffused.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash

February 10, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Autumn cottonwood trees along Courthouse Wash and sandstone towers, Arches National Park

After a second visit to Arches National Park and a few days into that visit, I was beginning to be able to see past the main, iconic towers and arches and other sandstone structures. This takes a while. When visiting a new location, it is natural and, I think, even a good idea to go with the icons at least a bit. They are, as the saying goes, icons for a reason. While I cannot say that I’m yet close to knowing this park nearly as well as I would like to, on this morning I began to feel that I was beginning to see past the main features a bit more. (Though I confess that I did begin the day shooting one of those well know features.)

As we drove out on the main road, I quickly noticed the beautiful cottonwood fall colors down in the bottom of Courthouse Wash. Shortly after crossing a creek bed, we pulled over and I wandered off to photograph these trees. Before I finished here, I had tried a number of different approaches to the subject – shooting mixed brown and yellow leaves collected on the ground beneath them branches silhouetted against morning sky, and here the backlit trees with some of the characteristic red rock towers beyond.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Central Valley, Winter Dusk

February 9, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A line of geese fly in front of the first clouds of an approaching winter storm front above California’s Central Valley.

This photograph was made at a late enough time in the evening that it was becoming hard to see in the same detail that the camera has. The sun had gone down and the light reflected up into the clouds was beginning to fade, and Central Valley haze filled the air, partially obscuring the details on anything more than a few hundred feet away.

We were surprised and pleased to have a spectacular sunset as the clouds of an incoming weather system that had early blocked the light were now lit up from below as the sun dropped to the horizon. The intense colors of the red clouds were almost too bright to photograph. Here I used a long lens to isolate a small section of the terrain to the west that held a group of silhouetted trees, with the Coast Range mountains beyond, and the sky turning all shades of purple, orange, and red. Although it may be difficult to see in this small jpg, a long line of geese is traveling from right to left high in the sky.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Red and Yellow Leaves, Sandstone Wall

February 8, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Brilliant red and yellow autumn leaves of oak and red leaf maple against a backdrop of layered and fractured sandstone, Zion National Park

I suppose that I have to be honest and admit that the main reason for making this photograph was the absolutely ridiculous and gaudy colors in this little bit of red rock canyon. You can find red trees in this area, and you can find yellow trees, but it isn’t often that you (or I, anyway) find this combination of leaves, packed so tightly together, and against the intense color of the sandstone wall.

We had probably driven past this spot a few times before we finally came back and pulled over and photographed it. I can’t speak for the others in my group, but in some ways it is almost a bit embarrassing to point a camera at something so colorful and photograph it… just because it is colorful. Compositionally it was a very tricky thing to shoot. The only feature that brings much relief to the shades of red, yellow, and orange is the single arching crack leading up from right to left.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: north

Cottonwood Grove and Cliff, Autumn

Cottonwood Trees, Courthouse Wash

Central Valley, Winter Dusk

Red and Yellow Leaves, Sandstone Wall

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.