Tag Archives: southwest

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light

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Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light
Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

Sandstone Cliff, Morning Light. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail, sandstone cliff in morning light, Arches National Park.

While I often refer to this part of the world as “red rock country,” in truth the rock is rarely actually red, and its coloration changes radically depending on when and where you see it. In deep canyons it can become, in objective terms, almost purple. At sunset or sunrise it edges far into the warm portion of the spectrum, varying on gold, orange, or yellow. In flat light the intensity of the color diminishes. In some places colors on the surface of the rock are striking — either from material that coats it or the variations between old and new sections.

As I work on photographs I often have several open on my computer at once, with some of them staring back at me for weeks as I put off final decisions about how to interpret them. Recently there have been mostly photographs of this red rock country, and looking at those together has reinforced just how varied these colors are. This section of a cliff face at Arches National Park was photographed in very early morning light that shone at a low angle almost directly onto the the rock, and this light reveals details of the face that might not otherwise be seen with such clarity.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn in the Canyon

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Autumn in the Canyon
A cottonwood tree with autumn foliage deep in the canyon of the Escalante River.

Autumn in the Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A cottonwood tree with autumn foliage deep in the canyon of the Escalante River.

In my previous post I mentioned something about the experience of wandering down canyons such as this one, in particular the seductive nature of the continuous pattern of “next bend,” straight section, and the next “next bend” — and the difficulty of resisting the lure of exploring just one more twist of the canyon. On this. day I ran into that temptation as your pre-set turn-around time arrived… and passed… and we continued through a couple more of these bends.

This was one of the earlier bends, a point where we came back down to the stream after passing over some higher ground in a straight section. Here we had to wade to cross the stream since the route now followed the opposite bank. After crossing I climbed up a bit to place this colorful cottonwood tree in a composition that included the canyon beyond, and as I photographed a string of horses forded the stream.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon

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Creek, Canyon Light
A stream flows through the lower reaches of a Utah slot canyon, illuminated by lautumn ight reflected from canyon walls.

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn colors along a stream in a winding Utah red rock slot canyon.

On this lovely October day we left our lodgings and headed out on a long, quiet gravel backroad, eventually coming to a semi-hidden turn-off where we found a place to park. We loaded packs with camera equipment, switched into shoes appropriate for mud and wading, and headed up a shallow stream through flat terrain. Soon sandstone walls began to rise along the creek, and quickly we were in this intimate winding canyon with its combination of colors of autumn and light reflected on red rock cliffs.

This is the canyon where I stepped in my first quicksand. (Just enough to get my attention!) Once in the canyons, in addition to seeing photographic subjects everywhere, a series of sensory experiences stuck with me. Our voices were quiet as we ascended the stream’s shallow course, and sounds in the canyon were muted, mostly being the gentle sounds of water. The air was still for the most part, and the world outside the canyon disappeared, aside from that thin strip of blue sky straight overhead. At this bend leaves littered the sandy bank where the stream curved around rocks, the water glowed in the light reflected from upper canyon walls, and a few autumn trees stood with yellow leaves.

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.

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: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone Landscape

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Sandstone Landscape
The sandstone landscape of Arches National Park in hazy morning light.

Sandstone Landscape. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The sandstone landscape of Arches National Park in hazy morning light.

There aren’t really any obvious landscape icons in this photograph, but it felt to me like it captured something characteristic of the broader landscape of Arches National Park. Made on a hazy October morning, there were some rather impressive towers behind me as I made the photograph, but much of what was in front was muted by the haze. There is one of the ubiquitous fins, some sunlit foreground dry grass and brush, a plateau covered with rounded sandstone formations, and in the distance a landscape that includes the canyon of the Colorado River.

I am particularly intrigued by landscapes such as that seen just beyond the fin, where low, rounded sandstone formations cover the ground. From a distance they are not very imposing, but up close such places are full of things to sustain the interest if you can take the time to wander in such intimate landscapes.

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.

Blog | About | 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.

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