Tag Archives: rocks

Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Nature

Trees and Grass, Die Eiskapelle

August 11, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Momentary sunshine illuminates a grass-covered hill and small trees in front of Die Eiskapelle at the base of Der Watzmann, near Königssee, Germany

We hiked to this spot on one of the first days of our stay in the Schönau am Königssee area of Bavaria in Germany, where we stayed in an old, rambling farm-house for a week. Aside from the general charm of the area – conforming to many of the expectations of American visitors – there are a lot of special features around here: Berchtesgaden National Park and the Königssee itself, along with the views of the Bavarian Alps, including the classic peak of Der Watzmann, the second highest peak in Germany. We took the tourist boats up the length of the beautiful Königssee lake – which I think of as what Yosemite Valley might look like if it were filled with water – and disembarked at the start of the trail to Die Eiskapelle. This trail begins at the very civilized landing, with its outdoor cafe, beach, and lawns, and starts up the hill very gently. It soon enters the hardwood forest, narrows, steepens, and begins to feel more like the sorts of trails I’m familiar with from the American mountain west.

Die Eiskapelle is in a small, rocky valley at the base of a huge cliff dropping down from the eastern face of Der Watzmann. As I understand it, the permanent ice field seen at its base in this photograph is formed by repeated avalanches that come down this face. The July time frame of our visit usually is when I spend a lot of my time in the Sierra, and as wonderful as our trip to the UK and Europe was, at times I longed a bit for “my Sierra.” In the upper reaches of this trail, as the path disappeared and I was left to find my own route across bits of grassy meadow and rocky terrain to the base of the snow field, I felt as close to the Sierra as at any time on this trip – the feeling reminded me a bit of early season in my favorite terrain among the granite peaks right at timberline. And, momentarily returning to landscape photographer mode (despite using a small, handheld camera!), I paused here for some minutes, looking for a composition that would combine these small foreground trees with the ice field and then waiting for a bit of light from the broken clouds to move across this small grassy rise.

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

Granite Towers, Storm Clouds

August 9, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Storm clouds begin to clear about granite towers and spires, Yosemite Valley, California

These towers stand close to Sentinel Rocks in Yosemite Valley. The day had started out very cloudy, with light rain on the Valley floor and snow flurries around the rim of the Valley. As the day wore on the rain mostly stopped and there were breaks in the clouds, although the atmosphere stayed a bit on the murky side overall. That “murkiness” was not very conducive to a color photograph so I felt that this was more likely to end up in monochrome, as indeed it did. Because the sun is slightly behind the large towers and because the atmosphere was not completely clear, the towers took on a sort of ominous quality.

On a winter day when clouds ring the Valley I could easily spend hours with a long lens pointed up toward the rim, isolating little vignettes of clouds and trees and rock. For a place whose landscape seems to be so familiar, this provides an ephemeral alternate landscape that forms and disappears in moments. When I’m in the Valley, give me clouds!

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Waterline Rocks, Sand, and Foam

August 2, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Pacific ocean surf washes sand among shoreline rocks along the California coast

I’m often on the look out for these little coastal vignettes, and this one surprised me while I was photographing something else. We had traveled over to the coastline between Santa Cruz and San Francisco with no particular goal in mind – well, except for stopping for a bite to eat in Santa Cruz and then heading up the coast in search of the fog-sun boundary that we hoped we might find somewhere north of Davenport. However, even though the fog was visible off-shore and occasionally sent a few wispy clouds over the coast itself, we never did get quite the fog we were looking for.

We finally stopped at an anonymous spot along the road where I though I might be able to make a photograph out of a scene of rocks and waves as the coast curved away to the north. But between the time I had seen the shot and the time we managed to turn around, park, and get gear out, the light that had caught my attention was gone. But, being stopped and all, and standing there with my camera on the tripod, I figured I might as well walk out toward the edge of the bluff. As I did so, I had another specific shot in mind, but while heading to the spot to make that photograph I also noticed these rocks at the water’s edge and made a mental note to “work” them a bit before leaving. Once I finished that other photograph of the larger scene, I tipped the camera and tripod down to point at these rocks and watched to get an interesting bit of sea-foam above them. (I’d be lying if I implied that it didn’t take a few exposures to get this one that I like.)

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

Oak Trees, Spring

July 19, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Oak trees with new spring leaves, Yosemite Valley, California

Oak trees are found throughout many parts of California – from near the coastline, through the inlands hills and valleys, and up into the foothills of the Sierra and other mountain ranges. They often are part of an oak/grassland environment that can range from mostly-grass-with-a few-oaks to mostly-oaks-with-some-grass. They are found in many places in Yosemite Valley, especially where meadows create the sunny locations that they seem to prefer.

These specimens are in El Capitan Meadow (often just called “El Cap Meadow”) at the base of its namesake monolith, and a location favored my many Yosemite photographers over the years. I was there in early May to see the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit once more before it closed and to do some springtime photography. I usually think of oaks as being rather “dry” trees, but for a short time in the spring as new leaves appear, their color makes them have an almost lush appearance, especially when lit by low angle light and when seen against the dark and shadowed walls of the Valley.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: rocks

Trees and Grass, Die Eiskapelle

Granite Towers, Storm Clouds

Waterline Rocks, Sand, and Foam

Oak Trees, Spring

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