Tag Archives: shadows

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

Canyon Walls

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Canyon Walls
The path into a narrow slot canyon passes between dark buttresses.

Canyon Walls. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The path into a narrow slot canyon passes between dark buttresses.

We hiked up a remote canyon to get to this place. There is little need for a trail here — you just follow the bottom of the valley or canyon, occasionally climbing around blockages. I recall the clattering and clinking sounds of walking on the rocky floor of a wash, intuitive route selection that favored the shady side of the canyon, and the entrance to the narrow sections. Here the feeling is darker, cooler, quieter — reminiscent of walking into a cathedral.

Canyons like this are so fascinating that it seems they should be easy to photograph, but I’m always surprised by their challenges. It can take a while to search around for just the right perspective and composition, and the light can be tricky — there are often stark contrasts between deep shadow and bright sunlight. I’m always taken by the blue tones of the shadows in the canyons of Death Valley, and by the contrast with the warmer tones where the light manages to penetrate.

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

Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning

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Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning
The dark mass of rugged desert mountains stands beyond badlands lit by morning sun, Death Valley National Park.

Badlands and Desert Mountains, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The dark mass of rugged desert mountains stands beyond badlands lit by morning sun, Death Valley National Park.

Some landscapes speak to me immediately, but others may not resonate at first or even for a long time. I made this photograph in a location in the latter category. While I find the desert endlessly interesting, especially in Death Valley, there are a few places that I just don’t get. In many situations they are, like this specific area, popular places where “everyone goes.” I have no issue with locations achieving iconic status, but sometimes I don’t see what the fuss is about. Recently an offhand remark by a friend got me thinking about this area again. On two recent trips I spent some time there, trying to see it with new eyes. This photograph is one of the products of that effort.

The photograph is also an example of the importance of the nature of the light, particularly in the subtle desert landscape. The contrast between the foreground badlands hills and the distant slopes of an immense desert mountain range does not always (or even usually) look like this. Here a combination of warm, early morning light coming from the side and thin high clouds that muted the light on the mountains greatly increased the contrast between foreground and background.

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

Sea of Dunes

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Sea of Dunes
Undulating patterns of overlapping sand dunes extending into the distance.

Sea of Dunes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Undulating patterns of overlapping sand dunes extending into the distance.

Sand dunes occupy a tiny fraction of Death Valley National Park but are one of the most common photographic subjects. They loom large in our sense of the place, perhaps because sand dunes evoke of a sort of alien landscape. But they also present a visual blank slate that is open to diverse interpretations. We can approach them as “grand landscapes” or as intimate landscapes, as abstractions of shape and color, as backdrops for photographs of people and wildlife, and more. I think I began by seeing them as grand landscapes but now find it more interesting to seek out little fragments of form and light.

Perhaps because it makes everyone a bit uneasy we don’t speak a lot about the extent to which photographers treat dunes as a photographic starting point for visual experimentation. By this I mean to acknowledge that most interesting, compelling photographs of sand dunes involve a lot of “interpretation,” much of it done via post-processing techniques. To be sure, I regard this as conceptually legitimate and even necessary, and I embrace it in my own photography— I egard post-processing to be as integral to photograph-making as setting up the camera and clicking the shutter.

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

Dune Study, Evening

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Dune Study, Evening
An interpretation of soft dune forms and colors in evening light, Death Valley National Park.

Dune Study, Evening. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

An interpretation of soft dune forms and colors in evening light, Death Valley National Park.

When photographing sand dunes I spend a lot of time looking for just the right combination of shading, texture, line, curve, and color. But in the end, it mostly comes down to the light — the light that colors the sand, creates the shading, and illuminates those lines and curves. It seems like every photograph in the sand dunes is an ephemeral, one-time thing, and the particular combinations of conditions can never be precisely replicated. Unlike subjects where the primary elements of the scene don’t change much, each visit to the dunes takes me to different places and photographs.

On a late-March trip to Death Valley National Park, I revisited a location that I had photographed with great success a couple of months ago. This time Patty accompanied me, and I wanted her to experience the light that I had worked with on the earlier visit. That did not happen. Two months ago the evening sky was clear, and warm-colored sunset light illuminated the western-facing dunes. This time the sky was filled with clouds and the light was soft and the colors far less intense, producing an entirely different and subtle experience.

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.