Tag Archives: seasons

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Butte, Morning Haze

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Butte, Morning Haze
A desert butte and mountins stretch into the distance in morning haze, Death Valley National Park.

Butte, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A desert butte and mountains stretching into the distance in morning haze, Death Valley National Park.

With all that haze, this may not be your typical Death Valley photograph, but it is my favorite kind of light. I love haze, backlight, and scenes full of interesting shapes, curves, and lines. I’m also fond of including elements that are barely visible, as is the case with the furthest hills beyond the rounded butte.

The photograph is an example of the “don’t forget to look behind you” school of photography. We naturally focus on the main subject in front of us, the one that brought us to a place. But frequently something else is lurking nearby, often to one side or behind us. That was the case here, as this scene was almost 180 degrees opposite the very different subject that I had been photographing before I turned around to see this view.

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: Nature

Fallen Leaves

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Fallen Leaves
Fallen leaves on the ground in a winter garden.

Fallen Leaves. © Copyright 2022.G Dan Mitchell.

Fallen leaves on the ground in a winter garden.

This photograph was a bit of a surprise. We had gone to a Bay Area garden to photograph some new flowers that we heard were blossoming. (Last month here felt more like “Maybruary” than February, and spring plants seem to be appearing earlier than usual.) In fact, there were flowers, and I did photograph them. Some of the more traditional photographs of flowers and related greenery should show up here soon.

But I’m always looking for things other than the primary subject, trying to spot surprises and things I might otherwise miss. So as I was admiring some lovely blooms and some ivy growing up a nearby wall… I took a peek into the shadows on the ground underneath the plants, where I spotted piles of old leaves. Some were probably the byproduct of garden maintenance, while others had probably fallen naturally. I suspect that anyone who saw me down on the ground photographing under the plants with the actual flowers may have wondered what the heck I was doing.

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

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Old Cottonwood and Red Rock Cliffs

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Old Cottonwood and Red Rock Cliffs
An old cottonwood tree, changing to fall colors, stands in front ot a red rock cliff face, Zion National Park.

Old Cottonwood and Red Rock Cliffs. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old cottonwood tree, changing to fall colors, stands in front ot a red rock cliff face, Zion National Park.

There’s a very good chance that I’ve already said this too many times, but the color palette of the Utah red rock country is simply remarkable. The rocks themselves are astonishingly diverse, ranging from the reddish tones to whites, grays and blacks, and occasionally more exotic colors. The trees and plants, especially as the autumn color change begins, cover a range from grays through greens to yellow, orange, red, and brown. And all of this varies from the bluish tones of early morning and evening through the golden hour saturation and the midday intensity of light. I’ve said it before and I’ll likely repeat myself in the future, but to a Sierra Nevada photographer this can be almost overwhelming.

Early on our second morning in Zion National Park we took a drive that entered the park near Springdale just before dawn. We stopped several times as we began the ascent on the Mt. Carmel highway, first to photograph the intense dawn light and then, a bit later, to photograph this gnarly tree against the backdrop of a shaded canyon wall.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Aspen Forest

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Autumn Aspen Forest
Autumn Aspen forests stretch across the landscape of Dixie National Forest, Utah

Autumn Aspen Forest. Dixie National Forest, Utah. October 5, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn Aspen forests stretch across the landscape of Dixie National Forest, Utah

Is it ever to soon to start thinking about fall color? I think not. I made this photograph nearly five years ago on a big autumn trip around Utah. We started with a few days in California’s Eastern Sierra, then crossed Nevada by less-used routes to get to the area near Cedar Breaks. From there we headed east, eventually going as far as Moab before cutting across northern Arizona on our return trip.

This photograph was made not far from Cedar Breaks, along a gravel road that we happened to end up on for no other reason than we had some time and it looked interesting. The aspen forests here are more extensive that what I’m used to in California — they stretch over larger distances, and often the trees are straighter and taller. As you enjoy this beautiful scene, keep in mind that much of Utah’s wild lands — our wild lands — are under threat from political forces in the state that would place the short-term gain of a few special interest industries above the interests of the land’s current owners, you and me!

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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