Tag Archives: trees

Photographs: Albania, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Afternoon Shower, Albanian Alps

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Afternoon Shower, Albanian Alps
“Afternoon Shower, Albanian Alps” — An afternoon shower in the Albanian Alps of the Valbona Valley.

My experience in Albania is extremely limited — a single day driving from Kosovo up into the Valbona Valley, to what I believe was the end of the road. We started in Kosovo lowlands, gradually ascended, and passed through small towns. Eventually the land became more rural, somewhere we crossed the border, and we saw signs of past military conflicts in the valley. At the end of the road there is a big lodge where we stopped to eat and admire the stunning panorama of alpine peaks looming above us.

The weather was the sort where it is sunny but there’s so much humidity that a shower could develop at any moment. That’s precisely what happened here as we headed back toward Kosovo – a cloud passed by and surprised is with some rain. (“Hey, it is raining! And the sun is out!”) This is some of my favorite light — dappled sunlight moving across the landscape of mountains and trees, with peaks looming overhead as mist swirls and gentle rain falls.

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: Albania, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Albanian Alps, Valbona Valley

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Albanian Alps, Valbona Valley
“Albanian Alps, Valbona Valley” — Rugged Albanian alps rise above the Valbone Valley.

We visited Kosovo and Croatia and briefly entered a few other Balkan countries back in the summer of 2023 during a very long trip to Europe. There’s a lot to say about this remarkable and complex part of Southern Europe — more than will fit in one post. We stayed in Kosovo, at the home of people with extended family connections. Our closest Kosovo family contact enthusiastically showed us many places we would not have seen had we traveled on our own. One day we headed briefly into the mountains of Albania.

I have to admit to almost complete ignorance about this part of the world. Like most Americans, my knowledge was limited to very outdated Cold War history and a vague recollection of the war there during the Clinton administration. I knew literally nothing of the people or the landscape. Imagine my surprise when our drive took us deep into the Albanian Alps, where the scenery competes with the most spectacular mountains of my California Sierra Nevada.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Trees, Dusk

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Winter Trees, Dusk
“Winter Trees, Dusk” — A row of bare winter trees silhouetted against the a colorful dusk sky.

This photograph lets me recall how we greeted the New Year. It was the same way we’ve done it for the past decade or so — joining a group of photographer friends to photograph migratory birds in the winter landscape. A few of us arrived the day before, but everyone showed up before dawn on New Year’s Day to greet the first sunrise of the new year together.

This photograph comes from New Year’s Eve. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, in time for the late-day light. It was a quiet evening, with a few clouds forming when I made this photograph of a row of winter-dormant trees in the post-sunset dusk light.

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: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Henkersteg, Pegnitz River

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Henkersteg, Pegnitz River, Nürnberg
“Henkersteg, Pegnitz River” — A covered bridge spans the Pegnitz River, Nürnberg, Germany

Walking around in Nürnberg on a day that began with slowly dissipating fog, I saw this scene as we crossed a bridge over the Pegnitz River. There is still a bit of the fog in the sky above the buildings, an old covered bridge crosses the water, and the buildings, bridge, and a few trees are reflected in the smooth surface of the river.

Often when photographing in a location like this I sometimes cannot determine the name of the subject or I photograph quickly and move on without checking. That was the case here, and it was only later that I used maps to locate the bridge and found out that it is called the “Henkersteg.” I understand that this roughy translates to “hangman’s bridge.” Additional reading suggests that it got the name because long ago the town hangman lived in a tower near one end of the bridge.

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.