Tag Archives: patterns

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

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light

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Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light
Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

While I often refer to this part of the world as “red rock country,” in truth the rock is rarely actually red, and its coloration changes radically depending on when and where you see it. In deep canyons it can become, in objective terms, almost purple. At sunset or sunrise it edges far into the warm portion of the spectrum, varying on gold, orange, or yellow. In flat light the intensity of the color diminishes. In some places colors on the surface of the rock are striking — either from material that coats it or the variations between old and new sections.

As I work on photographs I often have several open on my computer at once, with some of them staring back at me for weeks as I put off final decisions about how to interpret them. Recently there have been mostly photographs of this red rock country, and looking at those together has reinforced just how varied these colors are. This section of a cliff face at Arches National Park was photographed in very early morning light that shone at a low angle almost directly onto the the rock, and this light reveals details of the face that might not otherwise be seen with such clarity.

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: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Edges

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A conjunction of striated sandstone in a Utah canyon.

Edges. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A conjunction of striated sandstone in a Utah canyon.

I photographed this somewhere in Utah, almost certainly in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and I’m pretty sure I remember which little canyon I was walking through… but I can’t say that I recall the exact spot. We had driven to a rather out-of-the-way location, wandered up a shallow stream, and entered a lovely, quiet, light-filled canyon full of the usual twists and turns.

The canyon presented a veritable feast of photography — plants, reflections of sky and canyon walls in the water, sand, red rock walls, and more. Given the narrowness of the canyon, the subjects all belonged to the “intimate landscape” genre, and it was rare to have a view of anything more than a few yards away. And everywhere the star of the show was there light reflected down from above and bouncing off the sandstone canyon walls.

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

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.

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.