Tag Archives: plant

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Creosote and Blowing Sand

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Creosote and Blowing Sand
High winds blow streamers of sand across dunes and past a lone clump of creosote in evening light.

Creosote and Blowing Sand. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

High winds blow streamers of sand across dunes and past a lone clump of creosote in evening light.

There are certain things we do not mention when in the field, things that we hope stay away and do not show up to interfere with photography. Since I’m not in the field at the moment — instead, sitting at my computer in my studio — I can go ahead and name one of them: wind. Some years back I was photographing canyons in Utah with some friends, and I was informed that I should never mention the name of this phenomenon while in the field, and if it was necessary to refer to it, the thing could only be called “W.”

“W” is often an issue in Death Valley and similar landscapes. It both creates challenges to photography (dust, camera stability, and more) and opportunities (flying dust can look spectacular!). We learn to deal with it. Sometimes this means heading off to a spot that is sheltered from the worst of it. It might mean photographing the effects of the wind (for example, a dust storm) from just outside its boundaries. Sometimes it means cautiously wading right into the maelstrom if the conditions appear to be spectacular enough, even at risk to equipment and health. Truth be told, the wind whipping up the flying sand in this photograph wasn’t that bad, especially since I could keep it mostly at my back.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Creosote, Shadowed Dunes

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Creosote, Shadowed Dunes
Creosote plant in sunlight, backed by shadowed sand dunes.

Creosote, Shadowed Dunes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Creosote plant in sunlight, backed by shadowed sand dunes.

Sand dune landscapes provide all sorts of surprises. After seeing many photographs of impressive blowing sand and dust storms, you might think that is the norm — but most of the time the dunes are quiet and still. In the daytime there often doesn’t seem to be a lot going on in a visual sense. But go there at the earliest and latest moments of the day, and the light changes so quickly that it is almost impossible to keep up. Here there was only a brief moment when the soft light fell on the dune and the creosote plant and left the further dunes in soft, cool-toned light.

It is common to think of landscape photography as a slow and deliberate process. In fact, at times and with certain subjects it can be, and the photographer may have a lot of time to look and contemplate. But in this edge-of-day light things happen so quickly that photography can become a kind of action sport. The light does something “over there” for a brief moment, but when I look up something new is happening elsewhere. I turn my attention, quickly make a photograph or two, and right away some new combination of form and light emerges. And this whole dynamic show itself only lasts for a short time between midday bright (and often harsh) light and darkness.

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

Succulent Leaves, Detail

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Succulent Leaves, Detail
Close up view of the patterns of succulent plant leaf edges.

Succulent Leaves, Detail. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Close up view of the patterns of succulent plant leaf edges.

Any time I end up in some sort of garden I seem to end up making at least a few photographs of the plants, often focusing on the shapes, lines, curves, textures and colors. In other words, most often I don’t make photographs that really show the plants in a botanically useful way, instead preferring to see them as essentially abstractions. One advantage of this approach, at least from my point of view, is that I don’t feel particularly limited to presenting an objectively accurate rendition of the subject, and I can instead choose to “see” the subject almost any way I want.

If I recall correctly, I made this photograph during a visit to Northern California a couple of years ago — the last time we visited the state and national redwood parks up there prior to this year. We stopped along the way up there and spent a night or two not far from Fort Bragg, where there is a lovely botanical garden. We took time out from the landscape photography to spend a few hours wandering there — mostly bent over close to the ground to photograph small things!

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, 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.

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.