Tag Archives: patterns

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

Red Rock Face

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Red Rock Face
Detail of a sandstone face, Capitol Reef National Park.

Red Rock Face. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of a sandstone face, Capitol Reef National Park.

Many times when I have photographed in red rock country I find myself looking for other subjects that work with the sandstone to produce compositions — juxtapositions of features, trees, a bit of sky or clouds, water, light and shadow, and all of the other things that are part of the experience of this Southern Utah landscape. But at times it strikes me that the rock itself can be the entire subject. This is one of those photographs.

These masses of sandstone are remarkable on their own. They may first seem somewhat undifferentiated, but a closer look in the right light — in my view, the shaded light in canyons is ideal — reveals remarkable variations and detail. The color of the rock varies greatly depending upon time of day and, especially, the color of reflected light bouncing between anyone walls. Cracks and imperfections mark the rock even on the smoothest sections. And an infinite variety of markings combine on the surface — internal irregularities, color differences where the surface has been disturbed, and everywhere vertical lines formed by seeping and flowing water.

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.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Made of Sky

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Made of Sky
Reflections in the windows of the One Front Street Building, San Francisco.

Made of Sky. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Reflections in the windows of the One Front Street Building, San Francisco.

Perhaps a decade ago I noticed that urban walkers, especially those from out of town, were adopting a new posture on big city streets. Many tended to walk along with heads forward and angled down, staring intently at smartphones, either reading messages or perhaps trying to navigate using the phone’s map application. In a previous era the popular image of the out-of-town visitor to the “big city” was that of someone walking along a sidewalk, oblivious to other walkers, and staring upwards toward the tops of the tall buildings. I have a phone. I use it. But I still gaze upwards.

I have photographed this building quite a few times during my San Francisco Walks. It is an interesting building in general, but if you get up close the “open books” (climbers term…) of glass produce remarkable patterns of overlapping reflected patterns, all colored blue by the sky. To make this photograph I got about as close to the building as I could while still including some lower floors and the top of the building.

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.

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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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Blue Dunes

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Blue Dunes
Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

Blue Dunes. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

Among the things I have learned — or perhaps relearned with greater certainty — during this time of semi-isolation when we are unable to travel to the places we long to see and photograph is that I often overlook photographs with potential as I focus on the most obvious things and as I rush to move forward to the next project. During the past six-plus weeks I have been digging into archives of raw files that I left behind last year, and I’ve discovered some overlooked images that I now find interesting.

I made this photograph on a spring evening. I had been photographing sunset light on dunes and mountains, and I kept photographing (of course!) after the sun set and the light diminished and softened. I made only a single exposure of this particular view of this subject, perhaps thinking that the presence of a few sand-filled footprints across the dune might “ruin” the scene.

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.

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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 At Dawn

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Dunes At Dawn
Dawn light and shadow patterns on sand dunes, Death Valley

Dunes At Dawn. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn light and shadow patterns on sand dunes, Death Valley.

Other recent photographic posts here have mentioned the astonishing transition of desert light between the pre-dawn twilight and the post-dawn light of daytime, and especially the rapid changes that occur right around sunrise itself. I made this photograph during the first moments after the direct sun had made its way onto the dunes after rising above a mountain range far to the east. At this point the light is still warm, but significantly less so that during that first instant of direct light, and the shadows still are deeply blue from the color of early morning sky.

The small stand of foreground creosote is emblematic of one of the astonishing things about sand dunes, namely that there is so much living stuff in a place that first appears to be completely inhospitable to life. It is a challenging environment, and plants are few and far between, but they do manage to survive. In the springtime the permanent plants such as the creosote bushes are briefly embellished by the appearance of seasonal flowers, at least during years with sufficient rain.

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.