A detail of the weathered and burn-scarred trunks of four old redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.
Although I find it a very hard subject to photograph, I’m always intrigued by the textures and shapes of redwood tree trunks, especially when they are as rugged and time-worn as these are. There are four trees in this photo with the most distant picking up a bit more light than those in the foreground. This grouping is, I’m almost embarrassed to admit, right next to a very popular section of the most popular trail at Muir Woods.
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.
Gentle light filters through overcast sky and the forest canopy to illuminate redwood trees of Muir Woods National Monument, California.
I saw this beautiful soft light on the trees from across the valley and quickly moved over here to photograph this scene last weekend. Although I exposed quite a few frames here and tried a few different compositions, the irony is that so far my favorite is this one, the first shot I did. The lighting was really interesting. A Pacific winter storm was just starting to come in and for the most part it was quite overcast. However, from time to time a thinner spot in the clouds would pass by and doubly-filtered and doubly-diffused light would hit these trees – filtering and diffused by the overcast and then again by the forest canopy.
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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, marin, forest, nature, california, usa, redwood, tree, grove, trunk, vertical, morning, overcast, filtered, light, canopy, marin county, usa, fern, oxalis, sorrell, branch, bush, stump, moss, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, quiet, green
Steps ascend a steep hill through the redwoods near the start of the Ocean View Trail, Muir Woods National Monument, California.
This is a scene that I have photographed before – in particular I recall photographing these steps early in the evening before one of the winter solstice events at Muir Woods, when the trails through the grove are lit by candles. On the last day of February this year I visited again, but this time very early in the morning before many other visitors had arrived. I was thinking “color” when I made this photograph (and I may still post the color version eventually) but I ended up liking this black and white version quite a bit. I like the diagonal division between the upper left half which mostly includes the vertical forms of the redwood trees and the lower right section which includes the steps leading in to the trees.
This was actually a somewhat tricky scene to photograph. While the dynamic range was quite huge, ranging from the deep shadows on the sides of the trees at the left to the almost sunlit foliage beyond the trees, overall the scene was quite dim. Because I needed great depth of field I shot at f/16. Because I wanted the cleanest image possible I shot at ISO 100. All of this meant that I ended up making a 2.5 second exposure! Still there were post-processing challenges, including bringing up a bit of detail in the darker areas of the scene while at the same time being careful to not increase the brightness in the bright spots. And after paying attention to the extremes some work had to be done on the middle tones to get some life back there.
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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, marin, forest, nature, california, usa, steps, stairs, railing, fence, trail, ocean, view, redwood, grove, trees, ferns, clover, oregon oxalis, redwood sorrell, green, canopy, light, filtered, trunk, landscape, scenic, travel, outdoor, hike, stock
Ferns carpet the forest floor beneath redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.
I spent a lot of time shooting in this particular spot at along the trail at Muir Woods. I had been on the other side of the creek when I noticed some interesting light striking the trunks of the trees, light that was filtered through both the forest canopy and the developing overcast from an approaching Pacific weather system. I crossed the creek and found this scene, set up a shot, and waited. Most of the time the light was pretty flat, but occasionally the clouds would thin a bit and the light would light the trees a bit. While I was waiting I realized that there was a fire-hollowed tree nearby that is apparently one of those “photo opportunities” that everyone simply must stop for! Couples and small groups were virtually lined up to stand in the hollow of the tree and have their photograph taken. So I did as I often do when I’m waiting for light… I offered to shoot a few shots for these folks using their cameras: “Hey, would you both like to be in the shot?” Many seem a bit surprised that the “Guy With The Tripod” would do this, and I enjoy the pleased reactions – though I’m often slightly embarrassed by my inability to operate their point and shoot cameras! ;-)
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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, marin, forest, nature, california, usa, redwood, forest, fern, grove, tree, trunk, moss, bush, sun, light, nature, landscape, foliage, travel, scenic, stock
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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