Tag Archives: parks

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Redwood Forest Foliage

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Redwood Forest Foliage
A lighter-color plant stands out among forest foliage beneath Northern California coast redwoods.

Redwood Forest Foliage. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lighter-color plant stands out among forest foliage beneath Northern California coast redwoods.

While the giant trees are usually the primary factor drawing me to the redwood forests of the California coast, I inevitably find myself distracted by the more intimate world of the forest floor. This is even more true on days when the light is soft and luminous and the shapes and tonalities of this foliage become especially beautiful.

As anyone who follows my photography knows, I’m not always the best source of plant identification information, to say the least. I may know a plant — where it is found, how it grows, what it looks like in different seasons, and more — but quite often I am unsure of what it is called. I did not think about the identify of this beautiful arrangement of leaves as I made the photograph, but in looking it up a few weeks later I’m guessing that it might be salmon berry. Input from more knowledgable people is welcomed! I grew above a deeply shadowed bed of redwood sorrel and other lush plants.

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: Nature

Fiesta Flower

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Fiesta Flower
A high key rendition of a blue fiesta flower, Pholistoma auritum.

Fiesta Flower. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A high key rendition of a blue fiesta flower, Pholistoma auritum.

This photograph comes from one of my spring wildflower rambles at a nearby park, a place I visit every year to celebrate the start of the season. It isn’t a national park. It is not a famous place. It isn’t even a well-known place in a little-known local park — but it is mine! Here the trail passes through a small, narrow valley where there is space for flowers that prefer the sun and those that thrive in shade.

I decided to interpret this subject a bit more liberally than sometimes, going for a high-key rendition. The question of what it means to interpret a subject via a photograph leads in all sorts of interesting and complicated places that I cannot possibly address in this paragraph. Suffice it to say that while photography carries the burden of the presumption of realism, photographs are anything but “reality,” and the question of whether or how to interpret what the camera captures has many possible answers.

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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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

Blue Dicks Flowers

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Blue Dicks Flowers
The oddly-named blue dicks flowers, which one source claims derives from a shortening of the genus name Dichelostemma.

Blue Dicks Flowers. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The oddly-named blue dicks flowers, which one source claims derives from a shortening of the genus name Dichelostemma.

This poor plant and its striking flower are “blessed” with a name that never ceases to provoke a chuckle or two. I’ve often wondered how the plant got that common name, and when I did a little quick searching while working on this photograph I could find only one answer — and, frankly, I don’t find it all that compelling. As per the description above, the claim is that it derives from the “Dich” in Dichelostemma, the genus name of the plant. I can sort of see that, except… my minimal background in German makes me want to pronounce that differently. On top of that, the flower isn’t really blue!

Having said all of that, it is a beautiful and graceful flower that is common in my neck of the woods and, according to sources I consulted, throughout the “southwestern United States.” The individual flowers grow in a group at the end of a long, slender stem. The location where I most often photograph them features a lot of shady backgrounds and nearby lush greenery.

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 | 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: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Redwood Forest Trail, Rhododendron Flowers

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Redwood Forest Trail, Rhododendron Flowers
Rhododendron flowers liine a trail through Northern California redwood forest.

Redwood Forest Trail, Rhododendron Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rhododendron flowers liine a trail through Northern California redwood forest.

Late on this June day we went back to this trail that we had visited earlier. We knew that the rhododendrons were in bloom here, that it featured a dark and thick forest, and that there could be glowing light from the west at this time of day. We entered the forest as the light was diminishing — which happens here well before sunset — and hiked a short distance to scope out the possibilities.

As the light began to diminish we turned back toward the trailhead, which was not far away, and we walked back through lush growth and past a section of forest thick with those seasonal blooms. I stopped here to photograph, noticing the graceful branch arching above the trail and the flowers beyond — but also because it seemed like such a typical scene along the trails of these forests, with soft-light, plenty of quiet, and growth everywhere.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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