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

Rhododendron And Ferns

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Rhododendron And Ferns
A single rhododendron flower, fallen onto a bed or redwood forest ferns

Rhododendron And Ferns. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A single rhododendron flower, fallen onto a bed or redwood forest ferns

On this evening we headed to a place where I knew there would be rhododendrons, a spot on a high bluff above the ocean, where light comes in from the west late in the day. If you are lucky, it is filtered by clouds and provides just enough of a glow to illuminate the dark floor of the redwood forest. If you a doubly lucky, there is no wind, and the plants are still enough for the long exposures necessary in this low light.

Since we already had visited this spot, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to photograph and where to look for it — and most of our targets were not far from the trailhead. On the way in we walked past many blooming rhododendrons, but we decided we could come back to those a bit later. We crossed a low ridge and descended a bit into a valley. Here we photographed a bit, and then we began to retrace our steps along the trail through ferns and redwoods. I happened to spot this solitary fallen rhododendron blossom. It seemed like it had only recently come to rest on these ferns as the flower was still fresh.

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

Rhododendron Bloom, Redwood Forest

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Rhododendron Bloom, Rredwood Forest
A rhododendron tree full of flowers, Redwood National Park

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

A rhododendron tree full of flowers, Redwood National Park.

Redwood forests are wondrous places at any time, but when the rhododendron plants blossom they are even more magical. The redwood forest is a quite dark and quiet place, and the colors are almost uniformly muted greens and browns, with an overall bluish quality to the shaded light. Against that background the rhododendrons provide a remarkable contrast. One flower can be enough, but a tree full of them is even more special.

The rhododendrons are a new part of my photography, so I’m still learning a lot about them — where and when to find them, the best ways to photograph them, how their growth varies. The “season” is said to be a bit unpredictable, with some saying it can be at its peak in May and others suggesting June. My experience so far suggests that later may be better, and I’ve had my best luck a week or so into June.

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.

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

Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark

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Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark
Spring rhododendron blooms against the bark of a coast redwood tree, Redwood National Park

Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring rhodendron blooms against the bark of a coast redwood tree, Redwood National Park.

We spent the better part of a week in far Northern California in early June, and a major goal was to spend time in the area of the Redwood National and State Parks. This late-spring period usually marks the peak of the rhododendron bloom, and it can also provide a weather bonus comprised of less rain and more fog. We got the “less rain” part (none at all!) but we missed out almost entirely on the “more fog” part. I seem to have a special knack for chasing away redwood fog, at least in this part of the state. So far I’ve seen a total of about five minutes of fog… while everyone else seems to encounter it regularly!

That rumored fog provides a photographic advantages. The fog can render the already monumental and cathedral-like redwood forests even more mysterious. It can simplify the complex and busy forest scenes by muting more distant elements. It eliminates the “pizza light” contrasts between deep shadows and spots of sunlight, allowing more hours of photography. And when the fog is clearing or thin, beautiful and muted light can create a magical effect. I’ve seen all of this — but just not in this region! On the plus side, the rhododendron bloom was spectacular, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. (There is often debate about when to expect the bloom. I can report that one week into June it was still going strong and even increasing in many places.)

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.

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

Photographs: Nature

Ice Plant Flower

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Ice Plant Flower
The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county

Ice Plant Flower. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county.

Ice Plant is ubiquitous along freeways and in similar areas in many parts of California — likely because it is a hardy plant that produces some impressive flowers during part of the year. It is also a non-native that has become invasive in many areas, including some where it probably doesn’t belong.

I photographed this specimen in one of those probably-doesn’t-belong locations. It was growing on a coastal bluff in the upper section of the Big Sur coast, and burrowing its way into the natural ecology of the place. But the flowers were attractive, especially with a bit of early morning dew still on the petals.

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.