Tag Archives: spring

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Tree and Lake, Central Park

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Tree and Lake, Central Park
A goose swims past a solitary tree in a Central Park lake on a rainy day in Manhattan.

Tree and Lake, Central Park. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A goose swims past a solitary tree in a Central Park lake on a rainy day in Manhattan.

What you cannot “see” in this photograph is the sound of 58th Street traffic, along with all of the other nearby big city stimuli of Manhattan. This is a “landscape” photograph, of course, but the landscape is different than those I typically photograph in the American West. But on this rainy morning, when I escaped my hotel to walk and photograph for an hour or two, it presented a welcome slice of the natural world.

Those who know this park may wonder how I photographed it without any people, and even why I photographed it that way. As I walked along the near edge of this path, my view of this lake was unobstructed by anyone or anything besides a few branches. In a way, these little moments of silence and what passes here for solitude seem more precious given where they are found.

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: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Rainy Day, Central Park

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Rainy Day, Central Park
A Manhattan schist outcropping, spring trees, and cloud-shrouded buildings on a rainy day in Central Park.

Rainy Day, Central Park. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A Manhattan schist outcropping, spring trees, and cloud-shrouded buildings on a rainy day in Central Park.

In the past I have tried to explain how and why a “landscape photographer” (a designation that can be problematic…) might find urban photography interesting. Often I point out the appeal of the differences between the two types, but I’ve also noted similarities. I think this photograph gets at the latter. Rather than explaining, I’ll just ask you to imagine replacing those buildings with appropriate mountains or cliff faces.

The photograph comes from my recent “spring” weekend in Manhattan,… during which I experienced three days of pretty continuous rain. I went out on this morning specifically to photograph the low clouds that were enveloping the upper stories of the tallest buildings. I ended up at the lower end of Central Park, where it was possible to juxtapose a natural scene (spring trees and exposed schist outcroppings) with the characteristic Manhattan buildings.

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

Forest and Tower, Afternoon

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Forest and Tower, Afternoon
Gentle afternoon haze and soft spring light on forest and granite towers, Yosemite Valley.

Forest and Tower, Afternoon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Gentle afternoon haze and soft spring light on forest and granite towers, Yosemite Valley.

The main visual aspect of Yosemite Valley, I think, is of massive, iconic formations in combinations that would be almost impossible to imagine: a dome sliced in half, waterfalls launching from the edges of cliffs thousands of feet above the valley, incomprehensibly massive expanses of granite, the u-shaped form with a carpet of trees at the bottom. But more subtle things characterize the place, too: the back-lit afternoon haze, cloud shadows moving ac ross the landscape, trees and meadows next to the river, and more.

The location is a bit west of the most popular parts of the Valley, wheres a beautiful small meadow provides more open views of the surroundings. The meadow that can be more of a lake in the snow melt season when the nearby Merced river rises. This spot was almost the final stop on my recent one-day visit to the Valley, and there I found multiple subjects to photograph.

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: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Central Park, Spring Rain

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Central Park, Spring Rain
People pause by the edge of a lake on a rainy spring day at Central Park, Manhattan.

Central Park, Spring Rain. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

People pause by the edge of a lake on a rainy spring day at Central Park, Manhattan.

Who says that all landscapes must be natural landscapes? No one, actually, though there is a long tradition (starting way before photography existed) of depicting the landscape inclusive of the human presence: small figures, structures, bridges and roads, ships, and so on. Although I usually categorize my photographs in various ways (if for no other reason than searching is easier), this series cuts across a few of the usual categories.

It was a rainy morning among a series of rainy spring days in Manhattan, and many of us were anxious enough to get out and enjoy New York’s “spring” that we went out even as rain threatened. At times the rain was heavy but mostly it just sprinkled steadily, as it was when I made this photograph, with people standing on the banks of the pond and clouds shrouding the upper stories of Manhattan buildings.

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.