Tag Archives: tree

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tree, Clearing Fog, Dawn

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“Tree, Clearing Fog, Dawn” — An old winter tree sillouetted against the dawn sky as tule fog clears.

Certain subjects keep drawing me back. I don’t mean just general types of subjects, but very specific things, places, objects, and so forth. This tree, at this time of day, in these conditions, is one of those subjects. It is at a place where I frequently photograph in the winter months, and I usually try to be there on mornings when the fog will clear at or after dawn — a morning just like this one.

There is something to be said for seeking out new and unusual subjects. But I think there is also great value in returning to the same subjects and getting to know them more deeply. Beyond that, there is a wonderful sense of being “grounded” in a familiar landscape, one that you know from long acquaintance, to the point that the surprises happen against a backdrop of deep familiarity.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Poison Oak

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Poison Oak
“Poison Oak” — Poison oak leaves transition to fall colors in the deep shade of a redwood forest.

Aspens are not the only plants producing fall color here in California. The ubiquitous poison oak plants become even more red and start to pick up a bit of yellow/brown late in the season. The plant is widespread in wild areas of the state, ranging from coastal bluffs to oak forests to scrub brush, and California hikers soon learn how to identify it. The red leaves are a clue, but the oak shaped leaves in groups of three can mostly confirm it. (Though some wild berry plants have a similar appearance — but their stems have thorns, which are lacking on poison oak.)

The plant is flexible and grows in various ways. It can grow almost like a bush. Sometimes it is found in what amount to poison oak thickets. Low growing plants are sometimes found underneath other plants. It vines and can send runners up the trunks of trees, as is the case here. I photographed this example in a dark part of a forest at the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in the town of Big Sur.

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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Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Courtyard, Edinburgh Castle

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Courtyard, Edinburgh Castle
“Courtyard, Edinburgh Castle” — Visitors in a courtyard at Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle dominates the view in the popular, touristy part of Edinburgh — the Old Town and New Town Areas. It is in the former, at the upper end of the “Miracle Mile” that stretches up to it from Holyrood Palace. Yes, it is a tourist attraction now, but it is also a “must see” spot. It comes with a lot of important Scottish history, and it provides great views of much of Edinburgh.

Once you enter the grounds of the castle, your path generally ascends toward the upper structures by following a rough counter-clockwise loop. As you ascend the views become even more striking, particularly in that they now include the structures of the castle itself. I made this photograph from that upper level, looking down and across a courtyard and lower buildings and beyond.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Lake in Shadow

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Lake in Shadow
“Lake in Shadow” — Morning light strikes cliffs above a shadowed Sierra Nevada lake.

For more than a decade, during most summers I have spent a solid week in the Sierra Nevada backcountry with fellow photographers, base-camped at various beautiful locations. (Travel and other things have interfered during the past two years.) These trips give us the opportunity to focus on photographing a limited area in a variety of conditions. On these trips we live in one small area for a week, and photograph only what we can walk to, frequently revisiting subjects several times.

This lake was just below our camp, and of course we photographed it many times — morning and night, sunshine, rain, fog, you name it. Most often I hoped for light that would open shadows in the landscape, but on this morning I decided to go with the shade and let portions of the image remain dark. In fact, the luminosity curve of this photograph is weighted strongly to the dark end of the scale. But I think that it captures the quiet mood here as the sun worked its way up the far valley toward “our lake.”

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.