Tag Archives: travel

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Schoolhouse Windows and Sky

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Schoolhouse Windows and Sky

Schoolhouse Windows and Sky. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Schoolhouse windows and sky – Rhyolite, Nevada.

Back in April 2008 my brother and I spent several days photographing in and around Death Valley National Park. (I try to visit DV every April, and I’m hoping to be there again this year.) On this morning we got up early and drove to the historic ghost town of Rhyolite before dawn and spent a few hours photographing the old ruins, starting with pre-dawn light and continuing well into the morning. (When we finished we headed over to nearby Beatty, Nevada to get breakfast and gas, the latter at a much lower price than back in DV.) The old school house is one of the buildings that has withstood the ravages of the desert better than others. Despite losing windows, roof, and much else the building still stands – among the destroyed ruins of many other buildings. This photograph, made very close to actual dawn, looks through the interior of the building by lining up windows on a couple walls, with the nearby hills and high morning clouds seen beyond.

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

keywords: ghost town, abandoned, school, rhyolite, mine, mining, nevada, death valley, national, park, structure, wall, window, sky, cloud, blue, light, morning, crack, stucco, wood, weathered, pattern, hill, mountain, ridge, shadow, travel, historic, history, scenic, architecture, frame, sill, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Egret, China Cove

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Egret, China Cove

Egret, China Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. December 20, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An egret in flight over China Cove – last evening of autumn 2008, Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

On the last evening of fall 2008 I visited Point Lobos to photograph whatever I might see there. Late in the day I walked along the trail above China Beach and spotted a solitary egret in the kelp just beyond the beach. The cove was in deep shade and I had a long lens attached to the camera and was set to the lowest ISO when the bird took off – so I had no choice but to shoot with what I had. There was little time to think and no time to make changes to camera settings. I managed to get a few exposures as the bird rose into the air above the kelp beds, but they turned out to be quite underexposed as I was caught between the rock of low light and the hard place of needing short enough shutter speeds for a moving bird in a dark cove. In this one image the bird’s wings are extended and it is passing out of a dark section of the cove and over slightly brighter water.

To me, the nearly pure white bird, slightly diffused by the odd exposure and over the darker water, seems like a ghost or an apparition. Although it is not anything like a technically “correct” photograph, I still like it for what it is.

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

keywords: big sur, california, carmel, Fall, monterey, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, point lobos, seashore, bird, in flight, egret, wing, china cove, kelp, water, state, reserve, park, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, black and white, monterey, peninsula, carmel, big sur, stock

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

Autumn Oak Tree, Upper Yosemite Fall, Rain

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Autumn Oak Tree, Upper Yosemite Fall, Rain

Autumn Oak Tree, Upper Yosemite Fall, Rain. Yosemite Valley, California. November 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A colorful autumn oak tree stands in a meadow on a rainy day with Upper Yosemite Fall beyond – Yosemite Valley, California.

A photograph from my rainy weekend in Yosemite Valley back on November 1-2, 2008. It rained the entire time I was there, but this was wonderful because these conditions intensified the fall colors and created wonderful atmosphere and effects of mist, fog, and clouds. Here a nearby oak tree with autumn colors is seen with Upper Yosemite Fall faintly visible through the mist, and flowing strongly after coming back to life from the rain.

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

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, fall, upper, cliff, wall, oak, tree, autumn, fall, season, color, gold, brown, yellow, green, forest, meadow, waterfall, grass, rain, cloud, mist, leaf, leaves, trunk, branch, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, weather, stock, california, usa

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Tree in Morning Light

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Winter Tree in Morning Light

Winter Tree in Morning Light. Calero Hills, California. January 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Silhouette of a winter tree in early morning backlight at Calero Hills, California.

A few weeks ago I made an early morning visit to one of my local haunts in the Calero Hills south of San Jose, California. Since I started out on a trail that took me past a small pond where there are often interesting birds, sometimes including an egret, I put the long lens on the camera and hit the trail. I did not find any birds to photograph when I reached the lake, but I did find this interesting backlit skeletal tree that framed nicely using the long telephoto.

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

keywords: winter, tree, dormant, branch, twig, trunk, silhouette, backlight, morning, grass, meadow, hills, rocks, ravine, valley, black and white, calero, santa clara county, park, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, foliage, stock, california, usa, central