Tag Archives: park

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

Light and Dark

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Light and Dark, a narrow Death Valley canyon.
“Light and Dark” — A canyon wall lit by reflected sunlight is seen through a dark section of canyon narrows, Death Valley.

Having photographed in the red rock canyons of Utah, I suspect that I have a bias toward that sort of beautiful, warm-toned landscape. In Death Valley I often look for, and enjoy finding, canyons with similar smooth surfaces… though that Utah red rock isn’t something you’ll see very much here. The narrow canyon in this photograph is perhaps more typical of the Death Valley landscape, with much rougher and more angular rocks.

I have written frequently about how wonderful canyon light is and how much it contrasts with the harsh and brilliant light of the desert landscape outside the canyons. In the deepest and narrowest sections the shadowed light becomes quite blue since the blue of the sky that is the main source of illumination. In this photograph we see the contrast between those blue foreground shadows and the warmer colors of the more distant canyon wall that is more open to the 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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel

Marché de Noël, Paris

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Marché de Noël, Paris
“Marché de Noël, Paris” — Crowds at the Paris Christmas Market in the Tuileries Garden.

Last year’s late-fall and early-winter travel that took us to Germany, France, and Spain. We were in Paris for a few days about a week into December, and holiday festivities were in full swing. Stores had their decorations up, some streets had overhead holiday lights, and the Christmas markets were open. We briefly walked through this one at the Tuileries Garden near the Louvre.

Although the German markets seem to be the most famous — or at least the best-known in the United States — Christmas markets are all over Europe. Here it Paris it is the “Marché de Noël.” The basic idea is similar everywhere we went, from Germany to Spain. Vendor booths are set up in a public place, often a town square. They sell seasonal items, gifts, and local food and drinks. Mulled wine is the popular drink — vin chaud in France and gluhwein in Germany.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Photographers, Photographs: Southern California

Alone in the Wilderness

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Alone in the Wilderness, Death Valley
“Alone in the Wilderness” — Over a dozen morning photographers crowd one small section of sand dunes, Death Valley.

Yes, the photo title is obviously tongue-in-cheek. This is not really “wilderness,” nor is this a place where one is likely to be “alone.” But there is a lot to think about here. If you look closely — and you may need to click the image to get a larger view — you can count at least a dozen photographers spread out in this desert landscape that comprises a very small section of these dunes… and it is not at all the most crowded area.

You can diminish the number of people out there with you if you go in the off-season, avoid weekends, get up very early, and perhaps go there when the wind is howling. But most often you will not be anything like “alone” in this place. To be honest, one task for photographers here is figuring out to work around the crowds, assuming the crowds are not your intended subject.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

White Drin Waterfall

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White Drin Waterfall, Kosovo
“White Drin Waterfall” — The White Drin Waterfall , near Peja, Kosovo.

For this American, used to spending time in our national parks and in our wilderness areas, my visit to this place was a bit of a culture shock. This waterfall and a nearby cave complex are part of a “natural monument” in Kosovo, at the village of Radac a few miles west of Peja, Kosovo. Much to my surprise, the crowds here were absolutely huge. The first challenge was finding a place to park, and it turned out to be almost impossible. It seemed like everyone in Kosovo was walking this trail — families, foreign visitors, you name it. Booths along the trail sold food, drink, and trinkets.

On one hand, this was not exactly a wilderness experience. On the other hand… people clearly love this place. And it is quite beautiful. The river flowing below this waterfall is full of picturesque boulders, and lush trees overhang the water. My understanding is that this waterfall is regarded to be the source of the White Drin River, which flows from here into Albania.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)