Tag Archives: road

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Solitary Tree, Glacial Erratic Boulders

September 27, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A solitary tree grows on granite slabs, surrounded by glacial erratic boulders

I made this photograph at a well-known and increasingly iconic location along the Tioga Pass Road as it passes along the Sierra high country terrain as it ascends toward Tioga Pass. This spot could probably serve as a prime lesson about how many other opportunities and ways to see there are for Sierra photographers, even when shooting with certain big, famous iconic features only a few degrees of tripod swivel away! (It is OK to photograph the icons, too – we all do it. But it is more rewarding I think, to also look beyond such things to see the much larger and equally beautiful world around them.)

The basics of looking beyond icons involve, well, looking around. A first step might be to go ahead and photograph the icon a few times, get to know it, and perhaps eventually shoot it when there is something a bit different about it – unusual weather conditions, a different time of day, out of season, etc. But the next step is to look in other directions, poke around a bit, and think about just what else contributes to the subjective experience of being in that place. I come to this spot frequently just before sunrise, and at that time the beautiful glacial erratic boulders strewn about the terrain are highlighted by the slanting, warm light and some of the more distant features are beautifully obscured by shadow and atmospheric haze.

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Photographs: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pedestrian, Steps

September 20, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Sidewalk steps lead to a lower roadway, where a pedestrian crosses the street

This is another of the photographs done street photography style in Seattle in August, when we had a free day between some other events that took us to that city. On this morning we had started at Pike Place Market, the well-known tourist spot, and then walked south into the more central downtown area and eventually towards the south side of downtown.

I recall that the first time I visited downtown Seattle many years ago I was surprised by the multiple levels in some parts of the city, especially along the waterfront. Across the street from the water, a major highway runs high above on a viaduct. Between the viaduct and the main downtown there is a very short, steep hill (almost a cliff in some spots) leading up to the next level of streets above. (The multiple level effect is seen elsewhere, too, such as near the convention center.) As we walked along one of those upper streets, this steep staircase led to a lower level street and some parking, and a pedestrian continuing on toward the waterfront walks through the light coming down the cross street.

Photographs: Germany

Boat on the Neckar, Heidelberg

September 11, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A ferry sails up the Neckar River past the Heidelberg altstadt, Germany

I grabbed this shot while walking across a bridge over the Neckar that crossed between the part of Heidelberg where we were staying and the Hauptstrasse area with all of its commotion and shops. In a case of very lucky timing, the boat emerged from beneath the bridge just as we happened to walk across. I think it is some sort of tourist cruise, judging by the activities that appeared to be taking place on board.

When I look at this photograph, the first thing that comes to mind is the word “postcard.” :-) The scene looks up the section of the river that passes by the old town section of Heidelberg, with its very narrow streets, shops and restaurants and the castle on the green hills above the town. The boat thoughtfully points right into the scene! We spent a total of a week or so here, in two segments separated by a week in Bavaria, and because of that and because we have relatives there with whom we stayed (thanks, Greg and Jan!) the town of Heidelberg began to feel like our home in Germany.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees and Boulder, Morning

September 5, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 3 Comments

Morning light on a boulder and a small group of trees growing on a granite slab in the Yosemite high country.

I suppose this sort of shot is turning up with a great deal of frequency among my photographs. I can’t help myself – I’m crazy about the combination of back (or side) lit trees, granite slabs and boulders, and haze obscured mountains, forests, and domes. I suppose this may be because such views, especially early and late in the day, seem to me to characterize the high country of Yosemite as much as just about any other feature.

This group of trees grows in a well-known location, and I drove to it before sunrise so that I could be out and about and looking for light from the get-go. This is a location that I have shot quite a few times in the past, so I feel like I’m getting more of a handle on what some of the possibilities and potentials are. On this morning I began nearby in a spot where there were lots of long shadows still, and after the sun rose a bit higher I moved on to this area of granite slabs and glacial erratic boulders, looking for trees that could stand against the more distant background of the glaciated granite forms with sparse trees growing here and there – in fact, on that far ridge they grow much the same way as the trees that are the central focus of this image.. There is almost always some haze here at this time of day, but it may have been just a bit thicker than usual due to a fire on the east side of the Sierra.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: road

Solitary Tree, Glacial Erratic Boulders

Pedestrian, Steps

Boat on the Neckar, Heidelberg

Trees and Boulder, Morning

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