Tag Archives: shade

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Curve in the Canyon

Image Leave a comment
Curve in the Canyon
“Curve in the Canyon” — A gravel wash curves through narrows in a Death Valley canyon.

The sensations upon entering one of these canyons after walking in desert heat and sun are striking. It is suddenly much darker and much quieter, and often the air is still. At this bend in the canyon, the walls and edges conspired to create a sort of spiral shape with everything centering on the bigger and warmer-toned section in the upper center of the photograph.

Hiking these canyons they ofcanten start to feel like a steady progression back and forth — a turn to the right is soon followed by one to the left, and so forth. In some canyons this leads to a somewhat humorous “just one more”situation. I might check my watch and note that it is about my turn-around time. I tell myself, “First, just hike to the next curve.” Getting there I tell myself, “You can take a look at what is beyond this section.” So I round the bend and see the canyon continues… and, of course, I just have to continue on to the next bend… and then next… and the one after that.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

Join the discussion — you are welcome to leave a comment or question. (Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Canyon Narrows Light

Image Leave a comment
Canyon Narrows Light, Death Valley
“Canyon Narrows Light” — Soft, filtered light illuminates the walls of a Death Valley slot canyon.

Desert canyon light is remarkable. A canyon like this one is a huge contrast with the world outside — the intense, harsh desert light gives way to soft, gentle light and shade. The temperature drops. The color of the ight changes, too. Deep in the canyon it often shifts to ward blue, especially when the canyon walls are black or gray. There are also changes and contrasts where different softs of light come together — as in this photograph where the deeply shaded blue tones contrast with the warmer tones of the higher walls.

I walked quickly to get to these narrows, but once I arrived I stopped, took out my tripod, attached my camera, and ambled slowly while searching for photographs. New possibilities appeared at every bend in the canyon, and my progress stalled to a near standstill as I stopped every few feet to look at a new composition.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Canyon Narrows, Amargosa Range

Image Leave a comment
Canyon Narrows, Arargosa Range, Death Valley National Park.
“Canyon Narrows, Amargosa Range” — A section of narrows in a Death Valley canyon.

You are going to see a fair number of Death Valley canyon photographs here over the next few weeks as I share images from my late February visit to the park. With a few exceptions, the most interesting canyons in the park — and there are many of them! — are less accessible than some of the other famous features. You might have to drive on dirt roads, hike up huge fans and washes, or walk through long sections of less-remarkable valleys to get to the “good stuff.” But the best of them are well worth the effort.

The canyon experience contrasts with the vast distances, intense heat and dryness, and harsh sunlight which we think of as typical in Death Valley. Canyons can be cool and shady and their narrow confines often restrict your views to a few meters. The light is often soft and filtered as it bounces down from high above. As they cut though ridges and mountains he canyons reveal ancient strata. Perhaps best of all, they are often quiet and lonely places where time seems to stop.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.narrows, slot, constrict, stone, rock, cliff, wall, gravel, wash, erosion, amargosa, range, fall, canyon, shade, dark, geology, landscape, hike, nature, travel, california, desert, usa, north, america

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Evening Aspens

Image Leave a comment
Evening Aspens
“Evening Aspens” — Groves of autumn aspen trees in the shadow of Sierra Nevada peaks.

I confess to often looking for the most intensely colorful aspen groves and visiting them when the light most enhances that intensity. Often this means positioning the trees between me and the sun, as back-light can make the leaves glow with unbelievable intensity. But that is obviously not the only way to photograph beautiful fall color, and something more subtle gets my attention, too. In fact, I love photographing these trees in the shade, where the colors may be a bit less intense, but where soft light fills the shadows and reveals details.

I began photographing in this area in the late afternoon when the sun was, in fact, back-lighting the trees. But in this particular location the sun drops behind higher peaks well before sunset, and shadows fall across the landscape. So I continued photographing as the light softened and eventually began to fade.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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