Tag Archives: three

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Three Trees, Sunrise

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Three Trees, Sunrise
“Three Trees, Sunrise” — Three trees at Tuolumne Meadows in hazy sunrise light.

During the first half of September I spent a few days camping and photographing in the Tuolumne Meadows area. On two of those day I wandered into Tuolumne Meadows before sunrise. There was fog one day — not the one in this photograph — and haze from wildfire smoke on both. Here the trees, being close to the camera, have some intense color from the sunrise light, while the haze mutes the distant landscape and shifts its colors.

Some amount of wildfire smoke seems to come with the terrify in September and October in the Sierra, at least until a first good storm arrives. At its worst, the smoke can be thick enough to be unhealthy and to make photography a challenge. But much of the time it can lend an interesting muted color to everything, as it does here.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Three Parisiens

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Three Parisiens
“Three Parisiens” — Three people walk along a street in Le Marais, Paris.

There is a story about this wall that I’ll share in the second paragraph. The photograph comes from the Le Marais district of Paris, where we were out for a walk in early December. It uses one of the classic approaches to street photography, namely finding an interesting street landscape and waiting for people to walk into the frame and populate it. This can lead to a lot of photos of the sides of people, but here it helps that the person in the lead has glanced in my direction.

About that story… This wall is the location of one of my favorite photographs that I have made in Paris. It features three (likely related) women in front of this wall… back when it was covered by some fascinating street art. (You can find the photo by searching for “je suis bleu” on my website.) This reinforces how transitory street subjects can be. Not only do people come and go, forming visual relationships that may last only an instant, but the street landscape itself changes over the seasons.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains

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Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains
“Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains” — Three clouds in evening light above desert mountains, Death Valley.

On most of my visits to Death Valley there are many days of perfectly clear skies. That might sound great, especially if you are in a rainy or cloudy place. But for most photographers it is far preferable to have something interesting going on in the sky. Give me some thin overcast, cloud streaks before a storm , a snow squall among mountain peaks, or a dramatic thunderhead any time. On this trip I was lucky, getting most of the things in that list, including this sunset cloud formation.

When photographing in Death Valley I often make location decision as much by looking at the weather conditions as by considering subjects. If I have a choice between two subjects and one will likely be in good light, the decision is easy. And sometimes the light itself becomes the subject. That is almost the case here, as the end-of-day light is very muted on the desert mountains, yet just bright and colorful enough to enhance the clouds.

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: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Final Approach

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Final Approach
“Final Approach” — A trio of snow geese lining up to land in a Central Valley pond.

Snow geese and Ross’s geese were my first interest years ago when I began paying serious attention to photographing birds. I had been tuned into California’s natural world for decades, but somehow I had missed the annual bird migrations, so “discovering” them was a thrill. Eventually the geese didn’t like the only thing worth photographing, and I no longer chase after them reflexively. But they still can be compelling — and there’s nothing quite like the sight and sound of thousands of them taking to the sky at once!

I photographed this trio on a late-December day when the numbers of geese were steadily increasing. There are more things to attend to when photographing these birds than you might think. Exposure can be tricky, as their brilliant white plumage can blow out in bright light or turn gray against the sky. Light needs to shine on them from the right direction or their features get lost in shadows. And, of course, you hope that the geese aren’t facing away from you! For this photograph I was in just the right spot as the birds turned toward me and into the breeze to land.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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