Tag Archives: plant

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Walking Man in Suit, Portside Building

July 29, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

Black and white photograph of a man in a suit walking past the entrance of the Portside building along the Embarcadero, San Francisco.

I think that the Portside building is one of the more intriguing structures along San Francisco’s The Embarcadero, which travels along the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay. The building almost looks, to me at least, as if it might be more at home in Miami. The front is filled with layers of windows and balconies and curves, and it often picks up light from the Bay as the fog clears in the morning.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Cliffside Forest, Point Lobos

July 15, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Thick forest growth along the top of cliffs along the Northside Trail at Point Lobos State Reserve.

The bit of thick forest with a carpet of green plants and yellow flowers grows on the edge of the cliff above the Pacific Ocean along the north shore of Point Lobos State Reserve. The soft and diffused light from coastal fog allows the colors of the plants to come out, but it also makes for a complex image since even the normally shaded areas are well lit. The idea here was to try to create a very complex image that is somewhat held together by the vertical patterns of the tree trunks.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 140mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/20 second

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, north america, cypress, pine, tree, forest, grass, plant, flower, cliff, rock, north, side, trail, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, monterey, county, peninsula, big, sure, carmel, coast, highway, one, pacific, shore, line, side, central, stock

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

Corn Lily Plants

July 4, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

New corn lily plants emerge alongside a stream in the Yosemite National Park high country.

Shortly after the winter’s snow melts, the Sierra corn lily plants begin to grow quickly in wet areas, especially those next to streams and lakes. This year I saw them earlier in the season than usual, and for the first time I saw them as they first emerged. I’m used to seeing them in the form shown in this photograph, with the large curving leaves that I assumed were responsible for the “corn” part of the plant’s name. However, as the plants first break through the soil they look almost exactly like unhusked corn, and now I wonder if that is the actual reason for the name.

These specimens, as is often the case, were growing in a tightly packed group along the banks of a fast-flowing stream that meanders through a nearly flat meadow. The plants remain beautiful throughout the season, though the nature of that beauty changes. Soon they will lose the lush green of spring and become somewhat tougher looking. At some point in late August they will begin to show some brown edges, and a bit later they will turn brilliant golden, yellow, and brown colors as the short Sierra summer comes to an end.

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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Manroot Blossoms

May 29, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Manroot flowers blossom in the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, Caifornia.

I hope I have the right ID on this flower. I’m noted before that I’m no expert on these things – I often can’t identify by name flowers that I am very familiar with. As near as I can tell, this is a “manroot” flower, also known as Marah fabecus. I photographed it in the forest of Muir Woods along Redwood Creek, where the plant grows in a vinelike manner among other plants.

The flowers are striking in the shaded forest, and especially since they seem to grow against a background of darker plants. I used an extension tube to make this photograph, shooting very close to the small flowers.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 73mm with extension tubes
ISO 400, f/4, 1/15 second

keywords: manroot, cucumber, Marah fabeceus, plant, flower, wildflower, spring, season, flora, foliage, blossom, bloom, muir, woods, national, monument, golden, gate, recreation, area, marin, county, california, usa, north america, nature, scenic, travel, white, green, bud, branch, bokeh, redwood, grove, forest, shade, stock

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