Tag Archives: reflection

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning

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Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning
“Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning” — Fog envelops a wetland marsh reflecing the soft light of sunrise on a quiet winter morning.

Am I alone in always looking forward (or sometimes backwards) to the season that is not the current one? In summer I anticipate fall. In winter I look forward to spring. For some reason today I got to thinking about last winter, and I dug into some photographs I made back in January when regular trips to photograph this cold, foggy landscape and migratory birds were part of my routine.

The photograph reminds me of the other sensations of this place at that time of year. It was cold and the air was still and damp with tule fog. The opaque fog muted the landscape more than a few hundred feet away, except that the tule fog was shallow enough to barely reveal the sunrise and high clouds. You might think it was silent, but the sounds of winter birds filled the air.

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: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Bologna Porticos

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Boilogna Porticos
“Bologna Porticos” Bologna porticos, covered in graffiti and glowing with reflected light.

Last summer we spent a few days in Bologna, Italy. It was August, the peak of the hot season, and as a result we could certainly see (and feel!) the benefits of the old city’s porticos. Here, as property owners extended the upper floors outward into the streets, they constructed these porticos over sidewalks, supported by columns. This is not the only place you can find them, but they are very numerous in Bologna.

Another notable feature of this scene is the graffiti. I’m generally not a graffiti fan, but it seems to be part of the scene in this area of Bologna. We saw it the first time we visited some years back, and it was still the case in 2023.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze

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Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze
“Lake Manly, Mountains, and Haze” — Blue morning haze softens the contours of desert mountains beyond Lake Manly, Death Valley.

Haze is a factor to be reckoned with when photographing in a vast landscape like Death Valley National Park. It is there even on “clear” days, and over long distances its effects can be substantial. Details are muted (especially in shadows), the colors shift toward blue, and atmospheric instability can make subjects literally shimmer. (That makes it virtually impossible to get sharp focus in some situations.) It used to leave me nonplused, but eventually I thought about how to use these characteristics — after all, they are part of the scene.

When I made this photograph it wasn’t just a matter of distance — the atmosphere actually was hazier than usual. In this interpretation of the subject I decided to embrace that haze and its softening effect on the distant mountains. This contrasts with the rather more stark contrasts between the foreground waters of Lake Manley and bits of darker land. But overall, the image retains that blue coloration that I mentioned above.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Clouds, Lake, Desert Mountains

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Clouds, Lake, Desert Mountains
“Clouds, Lake, Desert Mountains” — Morning clouds above the Panamint Range, reflected in the smooth surface of Lake Manly.

This photograph may look a bit familiar if you follow my posts. I previously shared a landscape orientation (wide) version of a similar photograph, made just moments before I exposed this one. The Panamint Mountains are in the distance, under sunrise light, and the shadow of mountains to the east still falls on the lower slopes. This is reflected in the waters of Lake Manly.

I love finding interesting juxtapositions of color, light, and shape in the landscape. The reflective water of the temporary lake provided rare opportunities here. and I was able to find a composition that stacked up layers of clouds, sky, snow-capped peaks, sunrise light, and the shadow line in the middle.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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