Tag Archives: shadows

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

Spring Fern

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Spring Fern
A spring fern grows in the shade among boulders along the base of Yosemite Valley cliffs.

Spring Fern. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A spring fern grows in the shade among boulders along the base of Yosemite Valley cliffs.

You might think that the toughest challenges on my one-day up-and-back trips to the Sierra — on one of which I made this photograph — would be getting up hours before sunrise and driving for hours, or perhaps it would be the long return drive with a midnight or later arrival. The truth? It is the midday hours. Photographically, this can be tough time of day. There are opportunities, but you have to look for them. And by late morning and early afternoon I’m simply tired from that early wake-up call… and ready for a good, long nap!

On this trip to Yosemite Valley, the pattern held. I arrived very early, photographed through the morning, following light and shadow around the Valley. At noon I grabbed a bite to eat and then… took a very long nap in my car. But the beautiful evening light was hours away on this long, late-spring day, so when I woke up I loaded my pack and set out to see what I could find in the midday light. I headed to an area along the base of the cliffs where I thought I might find some interesting rocks, trees, and soft shade light. And that’s where I photographed this sprouting fern, aglow in reflected light against a backdrop of forest litter and a boulder.

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

Shadows on Dunes

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Shadows on Dunes
Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Shadows on Dunes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Yes, I know. More dunes. As I wrote earlier, it is almost impossible to visit Death Valley National Park and not photograph sand dunes at least a little bit. To be sure, they comprise only a small portion of the park, and there is much more to see there. But they are a compelling subject, with infinite variations of light, texture, form, and color. I photographed these in the early morning just after sunrise when the shadows were still long.

While photographs often show the actual features and forms of the dunes, photographers “interpret” the subject, too. We seek out the most fascinating bits and pieces, the best light, and then we go to work to present them in the most interesting and appealing way. Here I wanted to show the directionality of the early light, but also maintain at least some details in the deep shadow areas.

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 | Twitter | 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

Entering the Dunes

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Entering the Dunes
Footprints lead into the sand dune landscape.

Entering the Dunes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Footprints lead into the sand dune landscape.

Most of our landscape photographs try to present the landscape without obvious human presence. I write “obvious” because it is hard to find any place where no human effects are present. Sometimes photographers are criticized for presenting the illusion that this isn’t so. While I think the point is important, the criticism is unwarranted and based on its own untenable notion of what wilderness is. In any case, the inclusion of a more overt human element in photographs can encourage us to think of these places in a different way.

We often strive to photograph dunes after sand storms, when footprints have been erased. But including such things can also engage us in the landscape in useful ways — if nothing else they urge viewers to imagine themselves in these places. The footprints here are somewhat subtle, but I think that we relate to the scene differently when we see a line of footprints leading into it.

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 | Twitter | 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

Dunes, Plants, Sand Storm

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Dunes, Plants, Sand Storm
Desert plants in late-day sun. backed by dunes receding into sand storm haze.

Dunes, Plants, Sand Storm. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Desert plants in late-day sun. backed by dunes receding into sand storm haze.

This photograph is a different “take” on the late-March evening sand storm I photographed earlier this year in Death Valley. The forecast was for afternoon wind, so we were not surprised when the dust started to rise a few miles away from san dunes. I’m often a bit torn in situations like this — operating in the strong winds and blowing sand is not pleasant, but some very interesting photographic opportunities tend to crop up in these conditions. So I went out and got to work.

Fortunately, as I faced the dunes the wind was at my back. Even though the wind was strong enough to make photography challenging, the sand was being picked up from the dunes and blown away from me. The blowing sand, combined with the early evening light, made for some spectacular conditions. The focus in this photograph is on the plants growing on the close dunes. I had visited them a couple of months earlier, and they were mostly quite dried out. But a couple of months later and this years wet and cool spring had brought them back to life.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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