Tag Archives: spring

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Spring Ferns, Muir Woods

Leave a comment
Spring Ferns, Muir Woods
Spring Ferns, Muir Woods

Spring Ferns, Muir Woods. Muir Woods National Monument, California. May 8, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of spring ferns growing in the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

I barely caught this bunch of ferns alongside Redwood Creek as the morning sun was approaching them. As I set up and started to shoot the ferns were in shade but picking up some diffused light starting to come through the forest canopy. I probably got no more than a minute of shooting time before a beam of sun poked through and illuminated the right part of the scene… far too brightly!

I considered sharing this as a color image – it is full of rich green from the deep forest light on the spring leaves in this moist place. However, the more I worked with it the more I felt that the textures and patterns of the fern leaves and the gradations of light and shadow would be overpowered by the intense green of the color rendition.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 149mm
ISO 400, f/16, .6 second

keywords: spring, fern, frond, plant, leaf, branch, nature, foliage, flora, muir, woods, national, monument, golden, gate, recreation, area, park, forest, grove, redwood, sequoia, sempervirens, coastal, black and white, monochrome, light, shadow, overlap, scenic, travel, marin, county, california, usa, north america, stock

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

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light – Zabriskie Point

Leave a comment
Erosion Patterns, Morning Light - Zabriskie Point
Erosion Patterns, Morning Light - Zabriskie Point

Erosion Patterns, Morning Light – Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sea of pastel erosion patterns in diffused early morning light below Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Off to the left of the “classic views” from Zabriskie point is a series of hills and gullies extending back to the south-southeast which catches the early morning cross-light as the sun comes up. Depending upon the lighting conditions the color of these hills can range from white-gray, through golden, to reddish, and almost black, with bluish tones in some cases. The patterns run every which way as the gullies draining these hills ultimately head to Gower Wash and then into Death Valley. In the foreground of this scene is a solitary ridge that has the remnant of an older layer of darker stratified material.

On the morning when I made this photograph the sun had just come up over the hills to the east, but clouds in that direction were partially blocking the light which quickly changed between full dawn sun and light filtered by the clouds. At the moment I made this exposure a bit of the more direct light hit the foreground strata fragment and a few spots further away, but softer cloud-filtered light fell on many parts of the scene.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 105mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/100 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, light, erosion, pattern, hill, geology, valley, crack, gully, rock, layer, strata, diagonal, landscape, scenic, travel, desert, southern, pastel, stock

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

Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point

Leave a comment
Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point
Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point

Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The folded hill and gully patterns along the edge of Gower Wash at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Having shot at Zabriskie Point often enough to feel less urgency about shooting the famous and iconic views… yet again… (unless conditions are truly exceptional), I’ve been looking for other elements in the scene. Last year I became interested in using very long lenses to isolate interesting small sections of the scene. I have to say that it is a lot more challenging and satisfying for me to look at the amazing number of potential subjects here that are not the justifiably famous images of Manley Beacon, the Panamints, and the panoramic view of Gower Wash. (I don’t want to get too full of myself here and make it sound like I’m “too good” to shoot the familiar views – in fact I still do point my camera in those directions when the light and other conditions are just right.)

This small section of cracked earth, small hills, and gullies sits right on the edge of the flatter and gravel-filled bottom of Gower Wash right below Zabriskie Point. I made this photograph early in the morning when the light of the sun was partially blocked by clouds to the east and I see a very subtle glow on the sides of these features that face east.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 190mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/40 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, gower, wash, earth, dirt, gravel, sand, gully, hill, eroded, crack, landscape, scenic, travel, light, geology, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Spring Oaks and Santa Cruz Mountains – Castle Rock State Park

Leave a comment

Spring Oaks and Santa Cruz Mountains. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 24. 2010.

Spring Oaks and Santa Cruz Mountains - Castle Rock State Park
Spring Oaks and Santa Cruz Mountains - Castle Rock State Park

© Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring Oaks and Santa Cruz Mountains. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 24. 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Panoramic photograph of oak trees with new spring growth above the Santa Cruz Mountains descending towards Monterey Bay – Castle Rock State Park.

This is the first (in order of posting) of a few stitched panoramas I made last month. I’ve thought about this shot for a while. It is from at the top of a staircase section of trail at Castle Rock State Park in California, alongside Goat Rock. From this spot you can see all the way to Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay, and the Monterey Peninsula hills beyond. On this early spring morning the oak trees were just getting their new leaves, so it was still possible to shoot between the branches and see the distant scene where fog filled the bay.

One idea I’m currently working with – among many others – is creating very wide panoramic stitched images of subjects that would usually be shot in a taller format – especially trees. Instead of photographing the entire tree, this feels to me more like looking through the trees at the scene beyond, closer to how I might actually look at this scene if I were there.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 131mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 second
three image stitched panorama

keywords: oak, tree, grove, forest, trunk, branch, silhouette, spring, season, growth, new, leaves, santa cruz, monterey, mountains, hills, ridge, valley, summit, county, bay, distance, haze, goat, rock, castle, state, park, california, usa, red, green, nature, scenic, travel, stock, landscape, flora, foliage, plant, north america, west, coast, bay, area, stitched, panorama