Tag Archives: pre

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

From Tufa To Mountains, Dawn

July 30, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Predawn light above high desert mountains, reflecting on the surface of Mono Lake

Mono Lake is famed for several things, among them the remarkable tufa towers found in several locations along the shoreline of this great land-locked lake east of the Sierra Nevada. And, yes, this photograph includes a few of those towers — a small group that lies far enough from the shoreline to make them less accessible and interesting to most photographers. (No, that isn’t Nessie — or a band of Nessie lookalikes — at the lower left corner.)

But tufa towers are not my primary or strongest association with this place. Mine include more ephemeral things — the sense of huge space, the expanse of the sky (accentuated by the distance and smallness of surrounding mountains), the deep quiet that is broken only by the sounds of birds and wind. In my experience, to understand those things about this place you must find a quiet place away from other people and perhaps just “be” there quietly, long enough to let its stillness begin to affect you, too. On this morning I arrived in Mono Basin before dawn, ending up at a spot that is not typically regarded as being iconic. Being early, I was in no hurry, so I set up my camera and tripod and just looked for a while before beginning to make photographs of the predawn light from beyond the eastern mountains as it reflected on the breeze-ruffled surface of the lake.

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Predawn Clouds Above The Black Mountains

April 18, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Lenticular clouds build over the Black Mountains before dawn, Death Valley National Park

Death Valley can be a tough place in general and a tough place for photography in particular. My recent trip in April of this year might be a case in point. The photography was not easy, and I faced different sorts of challenges almost every day. During the morning and evening hours when I typically look for “golden light” subjects, I had rather thick clouds on almost each day. Wind is often a challenge in the park, and this trip was no exception. And with the wind comes dust — yes, I dealt with dust storms on multiple days. On one morning I arrived at what I thought was my location in pre-dawn murky light, loaded up a pack, and wandered out into the landscape… only to realize once the light came that I was in the wrong place! While this sort of thing can make the photography edge a bit more difficult, I know that it comes with the territory, so I’m philosophical about it. If you are out there enough to encounter astonishing conditions, it is not a surprise when you find yourself at the opposite end of the bell curve on occasion. And when this does happen, if I just open myself to the terrain and look more carefully I can almost always find something.

On my second-to-last day of photography in the park I packed up my camp and left one of the popular campgrounds, with a plan of putting myself in a more isolated location, one of several that I had in mind. However, as I drove up the Valley a storm wind began to rise from the south, and soon clouds of dust and sand were filling the air and blowing north towards the places I thought I would visit. I wasn’t in the mood for camping in a dust storm so I switched gears and decided to head up into the Panamint Range where I thought the terrain might give me some protection. I arrived and set up my “camp” (which, in this case, was mostly my vehicle, in which I would roll out a sleeping bag), and almost immediately clouds filled the sky and a strong wind raced through the campsite. I hunkered down, at some dinner, and realized that this was not going to be a photography evening. The next morning, my final in the park on this trip, I was up and out of the campground at around 5:00, heading out on a gravel road to a high place with a grand panorama. As the first light appeared it became clear that the clouds had not gone away, and my hopes of a colorful sunrise were not going to be rewarded. I arrived at the destination to find that gale-force winds were raking the summit ridge. But I was there, I had my camera, I figured something might happen, so I got out and watched the sky lighten. Soon I saw this remarkable lenticular cloud formation to the southwest above the Black Mountains.

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Eastern Sierra From Afar

December 9, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The pre-dawn eastern Sierra Nevada viewed from an aspen-covered ridge far to the east

This may be the final photograph in this series. (But you never know!) On a mid-September day, when autumn aspen color was just beginning to show in the Sierra and the nearby ranges to the east, I arose early and headed off to a place that I had wondered about on an earlier visit. On that previous trip I had also done a bit of wandering out the east of the crest, by chance deciding to turn off of a paved road near the top of a pass, and then following gravel tracks out along a high ridge. I suspected there were aspens here, but I didn’t realize how many, and I made a mental note to come back here in the fall.

So this was my return. Arriving before sunrise I wasn’t quite sure what I would find. I knew there was a panoramic view back toward the eastern Sierra and I knew there were aspens. I also knew of a couple of likely place to stop. As I arrived near the location of the photograph it was still rather dark and very cold, so I went for something I knew and I looked for a very short spur road through the trees to a viewpoint I had visited earlier. I got out and set up camera gear in the pre-dawn cold — my first really cold morning of the season — and waited for light. As it arrived I could see that the color transition was much farther along than I expected, and I was able to frame a composition that included a few of the most colorful trees, the mountain of aspens beyond, the Sierra in the far distance, and the first pink light of the new day above.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Birds, Fog, First Light

March 7, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Birds fly above pre-dawn fog at first light

If you think to hard about photography, things can quickly become quite confusing. Why do we make photographs? I have some ideas, but I’m not certain. (They involve searching for ideals, in the classic sense, along with dealing with the inexorable march of time, but it is a long story.) We often focus on the practical matters, partly because it is necessary but also because it is easier. Where should I go? What lens should I use? What are the right settings? What is the best subject? What is the ideal time? What if I come back empty handed? Am I on the right track? And much more.

But occasionally there are perfect moments of clarity, both mental and visual. In my experience, they almost always come as a surprise, though there are ways to increase the likelihood of encountering them. They may come when one is alone or in the company of others. These ephemeral experiences of near perfection may be found in mountains, along the ocean, in a city, almost anywhere if you are looking. Cold, a long drive, waking in darkness — they seem a small price for a few seconds of birds against a softly colored sky in the moments before dawn

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: pre

From Tufa To Mountains, Dawn

Predawn Clouds Above The Black Mountains

Eastern Sierra From Afar

Birds, Fog, First Light

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