Tag Archives: photo

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Conway Summit Aspens in Rain

October 4, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 7 Comments

Fall rain and mist mute the colors of the extensive aspen groves above Conway Summit on Highway 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Just back from the eastern Sierra an hour or so earlier, and I want to get something posted before going to bed – so here is more or less the last photograph I made today. It rained lightly (and sometimes more heavily) all day, starting when I woke up in Bishop Canyon, continuing as I photographed in that general area until the early afternoon, and then following me north as I headed up to the Lee Vining area. Although I saw a few spots of sun as I drove towards this huge aspen grove near Conway Summit, by the time I arrived it was raining steadily. My plan was to decide here whether to continue my aspen hunt into the evening as I drove further north… or to recognize that the weather was going to be an issue and instead head up Tioga Pass and over the pass to return home.

Since it was raining at Conway Summit, after stopping to make a few exposures (including this one) I headed back to Lee Vining and then up to Tioga Pass. This Conway Summit photograph probably illustrates some important variables of landscape photograph in general and aspen photography specifically. Based on visits to this area in previous years, I was expecting less color than I found – while a lot of trees were still green, the higher trees had turned their most intense colors, and sections of the lower groves also were quite colorful. Despite the planning that gets me to places like this at the right time of day and at about the right time of the year, some things cannot be controlled – in this case, it was the weather. Also, even though I came here with a fairly specific shooting plan, once I arrived the conditions were tough enough that I had to work quickly. Fortunately I know this place pretty well, so I was able to find the scene I wanted to shoot without a lot of searching and I was then able to capture a few frames quickly… and get back into the car and out of the rain!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Broken Window and Cinder Blocks, High Line Park

October 3, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A broken window in a brick wall with cinder blocks behind, High Line Elevated Park, New York.

This odd window set against a solid cinder block wall was alongside the High Line Park in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. I am always intrigued by odd brick patterns, including those where someone has painted the bricks. The image of the smashed window “opening” to a solid wall was also compelling, and in a larger print there are some very interesting patterns, colors, and textures in the broken glass and the bits of paint on the window.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Maiden Lane, New York City

October 2, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Black and white photograph of narrow urban canyon that is Maiden Lake, in the financial district of New York City.

This street scene is in lower Manhattan, not far from the site of the World Trade Center towers. The morning light seems especially interesting on this curving street as the sun manages to penetrate all the way to the street level and the illuminated fronts of the buildings lining the “concrete canyon” are visible due to the curve.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Clearing Fog, North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge

October 1, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Morning fog clears from the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California.

Last week I made a quick trip north of San Francisco to photograph in the morning at Muir Woods National Monument in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. My habit is to be on the road early enough to arrive at Muir Woods before the crowds arrive, and this almost always means that I cross the Golden Gate quite early in the morning, sometimes at dawn and sometimes a bit later. As I go across the bridge I keep my eyes open for special or unusual conditions – I no longer stop every time, but I do if the scene looks more interesting than usual.

This morning was unusual. It was extremely hot and dry inland, yet the offshore fog bank was making a valiant (and ultimately unsuccessful) effort to push its way through the Golden Gate past the bridge. The fog was not deep and it could only sustain itself where there was plenty of water or as it passed directly over the hills on either side of the entrance to the Bay. This meant that light was coming through the fog and it was intermittently coming and going along the edge of its incursion into the warmer air. So, I stopped.

This photograph looks back across a section of the bay that is fog covered and brightly back lit by the morning light, with the higher fog trying to push across the shoulder of the hills of the Marin headlands with the distant view of the San Francisco skyline beyond.

On a technical note, I used a 50mm prime lens for this photograph – the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4. I switched to the prime from my more typical zoom for several reasons. First, this composition seemed to work with the 50mm focal length. Second, this 50mm prime is a really excellent lens for landscape and similar work, providing outstanding resolution at the apertures typically used. Finally, I had the luxury of not having to work quickly – so I could rely on a prime with the “right” focal length rather than working with the zoom.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.