Tag Archives: reef

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Desert Wash and Mesa

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Desert Wash and Mesa
Desert Wash and Mesa

Desert Wash and Mesa. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 8, 2012. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sandstone formations and mesa tower beyond a desert wash, Capitol Reef National Park

It has been a while since I’ve posted more of the late 2012 Utah photographs I made during fall visits, but there are more. Actually, there are quite a few more! The time I spent in that state in 2012 was photographically very productive, and I look forward to returning before too long.

I think I might categorize this as one of those “you can find a photograph almost anywhere if you keep your eyes open” photographs, since it was made it a location that is probably not regarded as being as special as some others nearby. Driving from Torrey, Utah toward Capitol Reef National Park, there is quite a bit to see. Off to the right in places there are deep and rugged canyons with lots of trees among the red rocks. To the left runs a large series of red rock cliffs that lead up toward the park. As we drove on this afternoon, the light was softened a bit by clouds and there was a kind of glow on the red rock terrain. So we simply pulled off to the side of the road as we crossed this wash and I composed a photo looking back past the foreground plants and across the wash toward the rising cliffs beyond.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Utah Juniper, Sandstone Cliff

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Utah Juniper, Sandstone Cliff
Utah Juniper, Sandstone Cliff

Utah Juniper, Sandstone Cliff. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 26, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A single Utah juniper tree in front of a sandstone cliff, Capitol Reef National Park

Shooting in this area of Capitol Reef National Park was a bit of a late-day whim. There had a been a bit of a slowing down of the photography earlier that day, and we almost felt a bit obligated to get out and do more photography in the evening. Hey, it happens! Feeling a bit less than inspired and with no specific goal in mind, we headed over to Capitol Reef and looked around, at first perhaps without a lot of enthusiasm. If you are a typical photographer, you have probably had such a day – the light doesn’t seem great, there are unfixable challenges with the location, and you just aren’t “seeing” it.

Eventually I thought it would at least be worthwhile to head up into a nearby canyon that I had visited before. We got out and prepared to walk up the canyon a ways. Before we did so, I saws this tree at the top of gravel hill at the base of the vertical sandstone cliffs and recalled that I had been interested in it when I have visited this spot once before. By now it was pretty late in the day, and the light shining through the thin overcast was bouncing off of canyon walls behind me and gently reflecting towards the wall behind this tree.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Tower, Fruita District

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Sandstone Tower, Fruita District
Sandstone Tower, Fruita District

Sandstone Tower, Fruita District. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 8, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sandstone tower stands above the Fruita District orchards in early evening light, Capitol Reef National Park

These sandstone plateaus and mesas seem characteristic of this front-country area of Capitol Reef National Park, and they are perhaps the most striking visual icon of your approach to the park from the town of Torrey, Utah, to the west. The Fruita District is the most accessible area of the park, being right alongside the main east-west highway that passes through the park. It features some picturesque sites and sights that are enough to make almost anyone pull over and look, including the old orchards that apparently gave the area its name and the accessible petroglyphs on low cliffs that run along the road. (Although this portion of the park is quite accessible once you are out here and driving across Utah, most of the park is anything but easily accessible, and getting to other places within its boundaries can involve some very long drives on some fairly bad roads, plus some hiking. I’m fine with that! ;-)

I made this photograph late in the day, after we had done a bit of exploring along the main tourist route into the park, the largely paved road towards Capitol Gorge and other nearby points. Late in the day I happened to spot this little conjunction of creek and fall-color tree and green grass and red rock cliffs as we were about to leave the park.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Red Rock at Dusk

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Red Rock at Dusk
Red Rock at Dusk

Red Rock at Dusk. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 8, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Red rock sandstone cliffs at dusk in the Fruita area of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

The farther mesa or tableland is a prominent feature of the Fruita District area of Capitol Reef National Park as seen when approaching from the west – though here it is photographed from a slightly different point of view that is more to the south. There is a prominent feature – not seen in this photograph – along the upper rim of these cliffs that is known as “The Organ,” and which is pointed out in guides and maps to the area. However, I’m surprise that the spectacular cliff and mesa itself seems to either not have a name or else have a name that is not widely known. I asked about this when I was there, and several people who should know did not know of a name for it, and one suggested a name that comes from another feature that is more general.

Nonetheless, these cliffs certainly impress me, named or not! The photograph was made rather late in the day, as the sun was just about to drop above the edge of the higher country to the left/west of here. Thin clouds somewhat diffused and softened the evening light, but not so much as to remove the warm coloration of the light. Among the strata visible here is one along the low ridge at front right that contains starkly differentiated layers of lighter and darker rock. Near the far lower left corner is a small area of trees that is not far from the campgrounds of the Fruita area.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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.