Tag Archives: rock

Rat Rock, Winter Morning

Photo of Rat Rock, Winter Morning, San Francisco Bay
“Rat Rock, Winter Morning” — Rat Rock and morning clouds reflected in San Pablo Bay.

Despite living in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly my entire life, it wasn’t until perhaps a decade ago that I “discovered” this location along the shores of San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of the San Francisco Bay. I had joined up with a group of (too many) photographers — one of those early Google Plus crowds — to photograph in various places north of the Golden Gate, and eventually we ended up here. I had seen photographs of this small island before, but I did not know its location. And, yes, it really is called “Rat Rock.”

I made this photograph on a return visit a few years later, this time by myself. Considering all of the possible sky and weather conditions in this location, I was incredibly lucky to arrive for this lovely sky and relatively calm waters to reflect the clouds. Some years ago I created a version of a very similar photograph from the same day, but I recently reviewed the raw files and decided that I like this one a bit better now.


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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Fractured Canyon Wall

Fractured Canyon Wall
Fractured canyon wall detail.

Fractured Canyon Wall. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fractured canyon wall detail.

With this photograph I believe I’ll conclude my nostalgic return to photographs from my 2012 autumn visits to Utah. It was a special autumn for my in Utah, as I was able to visit twice for a period adding up to almost a full month. On the second visit I was able to travel into some out-of-the-way locations, a few of which were shared with me by people who live and photograph there. That was quite a privilege. It has been too long since I’ve photographed there. Perhaps I can return next year?

This is simply a bit of canyon wall, and the specific location is hardly relevant at all — you can find rock like this all over Utah. Part of what attracted me to this little vignette was the boundary between darker old rock and the lighter rock below where some of the older material has obviously broken away. The surface of the upper, darker area is fascinating to me, and a close look reveals remarkable colors, textures, and shapes on its surface.


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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LIne of Weakness

LIne of Weakness
Three plants find sustenance in a narrow crack in Utah sandstone.

LIne of Weakness. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three plants find sustenance in a narrow crack in Utah sandstone.

This small scene was in the bottom of a Southern Utah canyon, where the light was richly saturated as it reflected among red rock walls on its way to the canyon floor. This light virtually glows, and it can be quite soft, filling in shadows and saturating colors. In these places and in this light, even the most mundane subject can begin to be appealing.

I’m always fascinated by plants that manage to establish themselves in unlikely spots with minimal chance for success… and then manage to sustain themselves there for years, decades, or even centuries. I first became attracted to such things in the Sierra Nevada, where full grown trees sometimes seem to grow in nearly solid rock. These plants are smaller, but it is quite amazing that such a small crack creates an environment in which they can thrive.


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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Cliff Detail

Cliff Detail
Diverse fractures and surface patterns on the sandstone walls of a Utah canyon.

Cliff Detail. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Diverse fractures and surface patterns on the sandstone walls of a Utah canyon.

On this late-October day, a cold one in this part of Utah, our little band of photographers took a long drive on a gravel road. Eventually we stopped at an inauspicious pull-out — I don’t recall a sign, though there may have been a small one. We loaded packs and set out across some dry terrain, and soon entered a small canyon at the base of tall hills, a canyon that looked much like many other such canyons.

This was not a large canyon, and our walk into it was shorter than the walk into some longer canyons we had investigated. It was also a rough little place, and it did not give up photographs as easily as some other more-picturesque places. Near the far point in our exploration we came upon this remarkable bit of sandstone canyon wall, with patterns on the surface of the rock that reminded me of sunbursts.


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 | FacebookEmail

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.


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