Tag Archives: point

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Breaker

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Breaker
“Breaker” — Waves generated by a big Pacific Ocean storm break near the California coastline.

It is quite an experience to get up close and personal with huge storm surf like this — though having a very long lens and finding the right shooting location helps makes it safe. We headed to the coast south of San Francisco during California’s bout of giant waves between Christmas and New Year’s Day. At this location a peninsula juts out into the ocean between a beach and a bay. At the tip of this peninsula one is very close to the waves as they break and roll into that bay.

In a way, photographing these waves is more or less like photographing moving landscapes. They have slopes, peaks, and cliffs, and the effects of wind and light are part of the scene. The main difference is that everything is ephemeral. The landscape stands still, but when photographing waves the landscape photographer has to think more like someone photographing active wildlife or sports, making instantaneous, intuitive decisions about timing and composition.

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

Distant Mountains

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Distant Mountains
The view toward the distant Sierra Nevada from the crest of the Panamint Mountains on a hazy evening.

Distant Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view toward the distant Sierra Nevada from the crest of the Panamint Mountains on a hazy evening.

Here is yet another photograph from a high place in Death Valley National Park, from which the peaks of the Southern Sierra Nevada are visible in the distance. I made the photograph late in the day, shortly before sunset. This explains the deep shadows on the foreground hills and the luminous quality of the back-lit atmosphere.

The distant peaks of the Sierra are familiar to me, and from this location and a few others in the park I looked at them through binoculars and long lenses and relived Sierra adventures from many past seasons. These include some wonderful trips around and out of the Cottonwood Basin area, various ascents of Mt. Whitney, and more.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Snow-capped Panamint Mountains

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Snow-capped Panamint Mountains
Fresh snow forms patterns on the sparse forest along the crest of the Panamint Mountains.

Snow-capped Panamint Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Fresh snow forms patterns on the sparse forest along the crest of the Panamint Mountains.

After all these years of seeing snow on desert peaks, it still catches my attention when wintry weather comes to this landscape. At first it seems strange, but then I remember that desert temperature swings are huge and snow is actually common at higher elevations. This very recent snowfall had not really begun to melt yet — and the white snow set off the shapes of the juniper trees and ridges criss-crossing the slopes of this summit.

Most often when I’ve photographed this area late in the day the temperatures have been comfortable or even warm. But on this late-March evening it was distinctly cold, with wind blowing and the snow nearby. We bundled up and photographed for an hour or so as the day came to and end.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Desert Ranges

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Desert Ranges
A view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley toward mountains near Las Vegas.

Desert Ranges. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A view from the Panamint Mountains across Death Valley toward mountains near Las Vegas.

This is another in the “very long views” series. Like another recent photograph, it also comes from the crest of the Panamint Mountains, though this time looking generally east. As such, the view extends across Death Valley (over 6000 feet below), then over the Black Mountains, the Amargosa Range, and across the Amargosa Valley to a snow-capped ridge close to Las Vegas, Nevada. (in the full size version of this photograph remarkable details become visible — a parking lot near Artist Palette, utility poles along the road out of Death Valley.)

There is a bit of a story about the lighting in this scene. It is essentially front-lit, with the light coming from behind my camera position and shining directly on the subject. Typically, this would be about the worst kind of lighting for a landscape subject, especially when haze is present, since it produces almost no shadows and very little visibility of details. But here something compensates, namely the shadows of broken clouds which introduce some shadows into the scene and help us sense its depth.

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 | Twitter | 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.