Tag Archives: ridge

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Tumbleweed, California Wildflowers

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Tumbleweed, California Wildflowers
A tumbleweed rests in the middle of a field of California spring wildflowers.

Tumbleweed, California Wildflowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A tumbleweed rests in the middle of a field of California spring wildflowers.

Let’s say you live in California or close enough to get here quickly. Let’s say you like wildflowers. Let’s say you have a bit of flexibility in your schedule. Go now! In many areas of the state — mostly the oak/grassland country of Central and the coastal and inland mountain ranges and foothills, along with many desert areas — the wildflower season is reaching its quite spectacular peak.You don’t need to know the supposed Best Wildflower Spot In California… because this is more or less a statewide phenomenon, and because all you really need to do is point yourself toward one of these kinds of places, and because you’ll actually have as much fun discovering your own wildflower spot as you would have joining the hordes at the over-crowded places in the news. (Recently we saw absolutely stunning wildflowers — the kind that make you gasp out loud — as we drove past them on main highway routes through hills and desert.)

We ran into this particular display along one of those highways. I had driven past it a bit more than a week ago without seeing anything all that out of the ordinary… but a week later it was definitely at its peak. (If you were to go to this specific spot now you would likely find that it had passed its peak.) The tumbleweed plant was a gift from the photography gods and goddesses, as the scene really required something to interrupt the nearly continuous carpet of flowers.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Photographers, Photographs: Southern California

Three Photographers, Dunes And Mountains

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Three Photographers, Dunes And Mountains
Three photographers working the morning light atop a sand dune ridge, with desert mountains byond.

Three Photographers, Dunes And Mountains. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three photographers working the morning light atop a sand dune ridge, with desert mountains byond.

Five of us went out together to photograph in the dunes on this morning. It was only after I arrived in Death Valley that I discovered that a group of photographers and friends was down from the Yosemite area and camped nearby. We made a loose plan to meet up the next morning before sunrise and head out into the darkness early enough to be well into the dunes before the first good light arrived.

We made it out there and went to work, photographing in the predawn light, then as the sun came up, and continuing until the light began to lose its early hour magic. One fun thing about photographing with other photographers is that when things slow down a bit… we sometimes make photographs of one another! A side benefit of this is that almost all of us have in our collections photographs of some pretty interesting and talented people, and a second benefit is that sometimes they share photographs they made of us. Here my three friends are set up on the spine of a dune, working the early morning light against a backdrop of tall desert mountains.

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 and Amazon.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Spring Growth, Stormy Sky

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Spring Growth, Stormy Sky
New spring grass and flowers on a hillside beneath a stormy sky

Spring Growth, Stormy Sky. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring grass and flowers on a hillside beneath a stormy sky.

This scene somewhat took me by surprise. When I went to the Carrizo I was expecting to experience sunny, dry conditions, and even a bit of warmth. But as I approached I drove through occasional light showers, and soon after I arrived at my campground it began to rain lightly. (This forced a decision – sleep in the back of my 4Runner or set up my tent. The prospect of having to repack a wet tent the next morning forced the decision.) I set up my minimal campsite — which mainly consisted of putting out a few objects to make it clear that the site was occupied — and then I headed out to make late afternoon and evening photographs.

As I headed down the gravel road it was clear that the afternoon weather was going to be “interesting.” At times it was sunny, but then moments later a shower would arrive and drop some rain. As I drove past this flower-covered hill, the sky behind it was covered in very dark clouds, so I stopped to make a photograph emphasizing the contrast. As I set up, beams of sunlight passed over the foreground scene, lighting it up against the darker and more dramatic sky.

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 and Amazon.

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

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Spring Wildflowers, Temblor Range

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Spring Wildflowers, Temblor Range
Spring wildflowers in bloom at the base of the Temblor Range

Spring Wildflowers, Temblor Range. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring wildflowers in bloom at the base of the Temblor Range.

Let’s start with the “Temblor Range.” (First a confession: I’ve always thought that the word referring to earthquakes should be “tremblor,” not temblor. Don’t judge me!) The area of the Carrizo Plain National Monument is one of those locations where the monumental nature of the San Andreas earthquake fault, arguably the most consequential bit of geology in the state, lies out in the open where it is easy to see. The Temblor Range runs from northwest to southeast along the edge of the plain, and its base marks the precise location of the fault. Visitors can easily observe some very powerful evidence of fault movement where creeks have been offset to the north over many thousands of years. From what I read, the geological record shows a leap of over 20 feet in the 1800s and a prior movement of well over 40 feet!

Earthquake faults aside, during the spring this can be the site of truly stupendous wildflower displays. The area is normally very dry and very hot. Most summer or early fall visitors would be struck by how empty and arid the place looks — little vegetation, most of it appearing to be dead, evaporated lake beds, and lots of dust. But when the winter rains are exceptional – as there were during the middle and latter parts of this season — there can be an explosion of wildflowers. This year’s display is quite impressive, though it may not quite equal the “super bloom” of a couple of years ago. The wildflowers were my main reason for going this time, so I headed over towards this likely spot late in the day. Clouds blocked the light an hour or so before sunset, but I thought there might be a bit of light at the last minute when the sun dropped below the cloud’s lower edge before setting. It turned out that this happened… and I had all of about two minutes of soft, warm-colored light.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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