Tag Archives: park

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

Desert Mountains, Evening Haze

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Desert Mountains, Evening Haze
The view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley on a hazy evening.

Desert Mountains, Evening Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley on a hazy evening.

We visited this high place in Death Valley National Park on our late-March trip. It is a location I have been to many times, virtually always very early or very late in the day when the light is the most interesting. It can be crystal clear up here, providing distinct views stretching from the Sierra Nevada crest to distant mountains in southwest Nevada. But it can also be hazy, as it was on this evening.

Such haze is a mixed blessing. It obscures some distant details, but it also lends a softness and perhaps a bit of mystery to the scene. I made the photograph just before sunset, when the warm golden hour light was building. The foreground ridge is nearby, the intermediate stratified ridge is perhaps a few miles away, and in the distance mountains on the far side of Death Valley are faintly visible.

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: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Headlands and Fog

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Headlands and Fog
A series of fog-shrouded headlands above the Pacific Ocean shoreline, Point Lobos.

Headlands and Fog. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A series of fog-shrouded headlands above the Pacific Ocean shoreline, Point Lobos.

This photograph comes from a lovely day at Point Lobos State Reserve. It began with very thick fog that gradually thinned, producing beautiful soft and slightly directional light that remained much longer than usual. I made this photograph somewhat early in the day, when the fog was still relatively thick and low enough to obscure the tops of promontories and trees.

This hike along the shoreline follows the tops of rugged cliffs that drop steeply into the ocean. You don’t want to wander off the trail here! This section of the shoreline is cut by a series of successive coves that extend a good distance into the land. The cliffs are massive and undercut in places, yet somehow plants and even trees thrive on their faces.

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

Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light

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Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light
Late-day light illuminates snow covered ridges and thin forest along the summit of the Panamint Range, Death Valley National Park.

Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Late-day light illuminates snow covered ridges and thin forest along the summit of the Panamint Range, Death Valley National Park.

The reputation of Death Valley National Park is mostly tied to heat — the desert, the dunes, the rare rainfall. I once asked German relatives why they choose to visit in the middle of summer when few of us would choose to go there. The answer, more or less, was that Death Valley is famous for being the hottest place on earth, and that is what they wanted to experience. People who “know” the park from that perspective are often shocked to find that snow is common here in the mountains.

When we visited the Panamint Mountains at the beginning spring the snow was plentiful, and we actually experienced a moderate snow squall. (One of the oddest experiences I’ve had in this park was some years back when we photographed spring wildflowers during a snow storm in Death Valley. Let that one sink in for a moment.) Late on this day we went to a high overlook to wait for sunset, and the warm light illuminated this nearby ridge in the very late afternoon.

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

Monterey Cypress, Clearing Fog

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Monterey Cypress, Clearing Fog
Morning fog clears around a stand of Monterey cypress trees along rocky cliffs, Point Lobos.

Monterey Cypress, Clearing Fog. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning fog clears around a stand of Monterey cypress trees along rocky cliffs, Point Lobos.

Shortly after my parents moved the family to California, so many decades ago, we started visiting Point Lobos. The biggest adventure in those days was exploring the tide pools. Only later did I branch out and begin to explore the rest of the park, though I was making photographs at the place before I was in high school. Let’s just say that this park and I have a very long history.

I made this photograph on what might be the perfect sort of Point Lobos day. It started with low, thick morning fog that covered everything. Instead of suddenly “burning off,” as is often the case, the fog hung around and only dispersed slowly. As I hiked past this section along the upper edges of north shore cliffs, a hint of blue was beginning to appear and the light was starting to become a bit directional, but there was enough fog to obscure anything very far away.

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.