Tag Archives: twisting

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Overhanging Canyon Narrows

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Overhanging Canyon Narrows, Death Valley National Park
“Overhanging Canyon Narrows” — Tall cliffs overhang a section of winding canyon narrows, Death Valley.

I make (at least) one annual photography trip to Death Valley National Park, and I’ve been doing so for something like two decades. My favorite time to visit is in the winter. This year’s trip was during the final days of February — the calendar said winter but a heat wave made it feel more like summer, with temperatures up to ninety degrees. Many areas of the park were inaccessible due to washed out roads and to construction, so I visited a few familiar places and went to a couple of new ones.

This slot canyon is an old favorite, and I have hiked and photographed it several times in the past. The “slots” are great destination on days, like this one, when it is both windy and hot. Death Valley slot canyons are different than the better-known Utah-style slots. They often feature rather dark rock, and the slots are often shorter. In this canyon there are several sections of these narrow passages, but in between there are longer sections of open canyon.

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.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Detail, Duomo of Orvieto

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Detail, Duomo of Orvieto
“Detail, Duomo of Orvieto” — Detail of a twisting column from the facade of the Duomo of Orvieto, Italy.

As per the common pattern, the hilltop town of Orvieto Italy has a large “duomo” on a central square. As is also typical, the facade of this church is packed with remarkable visual features — statuary, columns and arches, and fascinating details like this twisting column. Much of it is high enough that it can only be seen at a distance, but this bit is right for eye-level viewing.

You can read about these places and look at pictures of them for years (as I, a late-in-life traveler, did) and not really understand the effect of their physical reality. In particular, if you imagine them in the times when they were first created you start to understand how astonishing and even magical they must have been (and still are). It is remarkable that those who produced a structure that depends so much on massive scale for its effect also had the energy to attend to such tiny details with so much precision.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Canyon, Cloud Shadows

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Desert Canyon, Cloud Shadows
“Desert Canyon, Cloud Shadows” A twisting and colorful desert canyon empties in Death Valley under the shadows of passing clouds.

Light is everything when it comes to photographing the desert landscapes of Death Valley. The terrain is always impressive, but the midday light can be intense and harsh, washing out colors and muting details. But in the right light a feature that might look, well, “washed out” in that intense light can become beautiful. Add a few passing clouds to increase contrasts between light and shadow and things get even more interesting.

I don’t know the name of this little canyon or even if it has one. But I do know that there are canyons like it everywhere in this national park. Many are worth exploring, whether or not there is a trail. In many cases you can just walk carefully up the gravel fan to a canyon’s mouth and then follow a wash up among the quiet hills until you run out of time or the terrain becomes too difficult.

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: Events, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Twisting Trunks

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Twisting Trunks
A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks

Twisting Trunks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks

Dense, twisting little aspen trees are common in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. In our imagination, aspen groves are full of tall, strong trees that stretch on for great distances. Such things exist in the Sierra, generally on a small scale, but they are not the norm. More typical are these stunted, twisting trees — which in many ways are more interesting than those perfect tall trees.

I wandered straight into one of these dense aspen groves as it fell into shadows late in the day. Compositions inside groves are often both plentiful and very difficult. There are interesting shapes and colors everywhere, but there are also complex distractions — oddly colored trees, branches extending into the scene, and more. These trees were more cooperative, twisting around one another in marvelous ways.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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