Tag Archives: park

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Ghost Towns, Photographs: Southern California

Abandoned Mill

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Abandoned Mill
An abandoned mill on a steep slope high in the Panamint Mountains.

Abandoned Mill. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An abandoned mill on a steep slope high in the Panamint Mountains.

For someone like me, the first instinct is to think of Death Valley National Park as being mostly wilderness, and then to associate that with the idea that it is a place of little or no human presence. In truth there’s virtually no place in the world where we have not left a mark… and there are many examples in this park. They range from evidence of long-ago native populations and their descendants who still live there to the rather astonishing number of old mining sites. No matter where you go in this park., you are bound to see these things.

In the latter category is the site of Skidoo, where there was once a real town and lots of mining and ore refining… in just about the most unlikely location imaginable. It was near the summit of high desert mountains, far from any paved roads. The ruins of the water-powered mill (an astounding story too long to relate here) sit on a steep hillside, overlooking a remarkable expanse of rugged desert terrain and mountains that extends to the distant peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Cormorant Colony II

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Cormorantn Colony II
Cormorant colony and rookery on a rocky prominese, Point Lobos.

Cormorant Colony II. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Cormorant colony and rookery on a rocky prominese, Point Lobos.

This cormorant breeding colony was on a rocky prominence a short distance away from a trail I followed along a coastal bluff. Perhaps the birds felt safer with an uncrossable gulf between us. In any case, they mostly went about their business even though I was close enough to photograph them, positioned on the rock above Monterey Bay on a foggy morning.

Not all of their activities made sense to me, though some did. Half the birds were adults and half were (very large!) juveniles — the latter visible by means of their mottled feathers, their shorter beaks, and their incessant “feed me!” clamoring. From time to time one of the adults would arrive with a prize and the young birds became very interested!

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Valley, Spring

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Valley, Spring
A California valley during the “impossibly green” season.

Valley, Spring. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A California valley during the “impossibly green” season.

To be perfectly honest, this is a bit of a “record shot” — a photograph made at least as much to record something as to have an aesthetic effect. The location is a park not far from where I live, a place where I have hiked and photographed for several decades. It is part of my “outdoors backyard,” a place where I almost feel a sense of ownership now. I’ve even made other photographs from almost this precise location, though in rather different (and more dramatic) conditions.

The photograph is also a record of a California phenomenon, what some have called the ‘impossibly green season” — that amazing annual eruption of grasses and other plants in a typically dry landscape. At a time when much of the country is deep in winter, many places in California turn more green than you can imagine.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

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

Dunes, Shadows, and Morning Light

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Dunes, Shadows, and Morning Light
Morning light on sand dunes and desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes, Shadows, and Morning Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on sand dunes and desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

It is impossible to resist photographing these dunes, though doing so can be a little more complicated than it might seem at first glance. It often initially seems like finding photographs here would be super easy… but it often turns out to be a little more complicated. It isn’t just about the difficulties of working in the sand. I also find that bits and pieces of this landscape are often intriguing but can be a challenge to fit into a successful composition.

This photograph comes from an early morning visit on a clear-sky day, just as the early light was slanting across the landscape. At this moment, direct light was hitting the sun-facing surfaces, but there were still a lot of shadows. In particular, the distant mountain range was just beginning to pick up a little light aloe the ridges but was otherwise still rather dark.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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