Tag Archives: shadow

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

Morning Shadows and Symmetry

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Morning Shadows and Symmetry
“Morning Shadows and Symmetry” — The line between morning light and shadow descends a talus slope toward a lake, revealing mirror image symmetries.

Getting out of your tent before dawn isn’t easy when it is cold and dark outside and you have to leave a warm sleeping bag. But if you don’t rise early you miss some of the most sublime moments of the day in the high country. And, I promise, once you are up and about you’ll be glad that you made the effort.

On this morning it was almost too dark to photograph when I unzipped the tent, and for the first half hour or longer I photographed in the soft blue hour light. Eventually the first direct sunlight touched peaks high above me and gradually worked its way down the steep slopes toward “my” lake. (At about the time I made this photograph, my non-photographer backcountry partners were starting to awaken in their tents on the peninsula at the right.)

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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

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

Badlands Formations

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Badlands Formations, Death Valley
“Badlands Formations” — A pattern of badlands ridges and gullies in early morning light, Death Valley.

I don’t always photograph at Zabriskie Point — in fact, it was sort of an accident that I ended up there this February. But when I stop there I am always intrigued by the nearly limitless opportunities to photograph small details in the nearby badlands. There are two times of day when I like to photograph this subject. In the harsh midday light, the shadows can produce strong contrasts between the bright and dark elements. But early morning light softens the features, fills in the shadows, and sometimes introduces the reflected colors of the sky.

I was there, of course, very early — at least a half hour before sunrise, as the sky was just beginning to lighten. I did not plan to stop, but I thought I saw clouds that might produce sunrise color. So I abandoned my previous plans and stopped here. As the morning sun arrived on features to the west — the Valley and the Panamint Range — the soft light remained on these features below the overlook.

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

Sand Dune Abstract

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Sand Dune Abstract
“Sand Dune Abstract” — Sand dune patterns in evening light, Death Valley.

I first photographed this specific subject in Death Valley well over a decade ago, and perhaps closer to two decades. I “discovered” it by accident while driving back from visiting an entirely different feature. I had stopped in this location to photograph other things, and as I scanned the landscape I noticed this section of almost pure sand dunes. I went here again this year at the end of February when the light on my intended subject died early, and I thought I might be able to work with the soft light in this spot.

Because I have photographed here for some time, I have watched — at times with some concern — as this location started to become another “icon” of Death Valley photography. One positive development of this, perhaps, is that the many photographs can look quite different, revealing how ambient light “paints” the landscape of the desert. (Well, OK, also revealing the role that post-production interpretation plays in such photographs.)

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Bench and Mountains

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Bench and Mountains
“Bench and Mountains” — Morning light on a bench near the base of the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada.

Most often as we watch the first sunlight arrive on the eastern face of the Sierra Nevada we are either somewhere out to the east, perhaps in Owens Valley, or actually up in one one of the valleys that cut into this side of the range. There are a few places that can offer a little different view, locations that are east of the escarpment but high enough to view the east side almost straight on from close distances.

I made this photograph from one of those locations, a long ridge that runs roughly parallel to the Sierra crest. The terrain here switches from high desert sage country to large groves of small aspens and then becomes more alpine. (You can see some of those small trees in the foreground here.) I made the photograph shortly after sunrise, when the low sun angle still cast. large shadows across the lower slopes of eastern escarpment.

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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