Tag Archives: tree

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Dogwood Tree

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Dogwood Tree
A dogwood tree in full spr9ing bloom.

Dogwood Tree. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A dogwood tree in full spring bloom.

This dogwood tree was a complete surprise to us. We had gone to this San Francisco Bay Area location to enjoy an evening event and then stroll the large gardens. We knew there were dogwood trees at this place because we had photographed them elsewhere on the grounds. But we thought that the dogwood show had ended, and in fact there were almost no flowers left on the trees we knew about. But here was this remarkable specimen with thick beautiful flowers tinged with color.

It is funny sometimes to recognize how my preconceptions change with experience. This year that happened with dogwood trees. “My dogwoods” are the trees in Yosemite Valley and along some of the approaches to the park. I’ve photographed them every year for a long time, and it barely crossed my mind that there might be dogwood trees elsewhere or that there might be other types. My first strong hint this spring was on a rainy weekend in Manhattan, of all places, where I found beautiful blooming dogwoods in Central Park. The next surprise was this tree, perhaps thicker with flowers than any I have seen before.

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: Northern California

Beneath the Blooming Dogwood

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Beneath the Blooming Dogwood
Light glows through the blossoms and leaves of a spring dogwood tree.

Beneath the Blooming Dogwood. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Looking upwards toward dense spring dogwood flowers.

Over a month ago I shared a photograph of a blooming dogwood tree in Manhattan’s Central Park. In that post I alluded to the fact that this was not likely to be quite my typical year for photographing this kind of tree. Typically I would make a spring visit to Yosemite Valley and other nearby areas to photograph this annual event, but it looked like I wouldn’t this time. But surprises arrive, and a few weeks later I did find myself in Yosemite with camera next to flowering dogwoods. But the surprises weren’t over, and later I photographed these blossoms in a San Francisco Bay Area location.

There’s a beautiful public garden on the San Francisco Peninsula where we go regularly to photograph. We started much earlier this season, and we had seen dogwood trees there — though I didn’t photograph them much. We went back much later, at the end of spring, and we were surprised to find new dogwood blooms in this place where we had thought they were spent.

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

A Dark Corner

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A Dark Corner
Boulders, fallen leaves, and a tree trunk in shadow along the base of a Yosemite Valley cliff.

A Dark Corner. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Boulders, fallen leaves, and a tree trunk in shadow along the base of a Yosemite Valley cliff.

I made this photograph in Yosemite Valley during the difficult midday hours — difficult because the light is not as intrinsically beautiful at this time of day. Out in the open it the can be harsh, and inside the forest’s shade too many light beams break through the canopy. But I don’t want to write off so many hours of the day, so I often continue to look for compositions, seeing out shading places, haze, and subjects with some kind of graphic quality.

In the early afternoon I took a lazy hike along the base of one of the great granite cliffs in the Valley. I wanted to visit a spot where I know water would meet the valley after cascading down granite cliffs. I hoped to go right to the base of the cascade… but there was too much water! So I wandered in a different direction and noticed this old, dark tree trunk in the shadow of giant boulder.

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

Conifer Bark and Moss

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Conifer Bark and Moss
Most grows on the thick bark of a Yosemite Valley conifer.

Conifer Bark and Moss. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Most grows on the thick bark of a Yosemite Valley conifer.

Sometimes the texture of tree back can almost take on the appearance of a landscape, especially when it is the thick and textured bark on large, old trees. This example, from alongside a trail in Yosemite Valley, almost looks to me like a set of parallel valleys, with forest or meadows represented by the green most growing in the darker cracks. I’m also fascinated by the texture of the lighter sections, which seem to be build up in layers.

I suppose, to some extent, that this photograph may be yet another in the “record shot” category, at least if you don’t find the textures and shapes of the bark fascinating.

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.