Tag Archives: utah

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Hanging Branch with Yellow Leaves, Sandstone Wall

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Hanging Branch with Yellow Leaves, Sandstone Wall - A branch covered in yellow autumn leaves hands over a dark sandstone wall, Zion National Park
A branch covered in yellow autumn leaves hands over a dark sandstone wall, Zion National Park

Hanging Branch with Yellow Leaves, Sandstone Wall. Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A branch covered in yellow autumn leaves hands over a dark sandstone wall, Zion National Park

This is another photograph made in a short slot canyon in the high country of Zion National Park. At this point, it may be clear that I have a bit of an obsession with plants in front of rock of various sorts, and I was intrigued by this bundle of branches covered with yellow fall leaves that was dangling down onto the rocky wall of sculpted sandstone in this canyon and the way that the branch shapes were juxtaposed with the horizontal patterns in the rock and the diagonal fracture dropping from left to right.

It is easy and so tempting to focus on the beautiful red-toned rock, but there are many other colors to see as well. They range from the nearly white sandstone found in some layers, through intense yellows, and all the way to nearly black, especially where lichen or moss grows on the rock. The surface of the rock in this scene is very complex. Not only is the underlying striation visible, but various sorts of lichen have added color and texture – including the lighter blotches near the bottom of the frame and the slightly more subtle red spots lining portions of the fracture.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Bighorn Sheep

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Three Bighorn Sheep - Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park
Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park

Three Bighorn Sheep. Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park

I have been fascinated by the bighorn sheep since an experience I had many years ago in the eastern Sierra Nevada. I was on my first solo backpacking trip – oddly enough, this first solo was a two-week trip! – and I was hiking up into a slightly more remote area not far from Rae Lakes. In typical climbing mode, I was trudging up a steep, rocky trail with my head mostly down, and not paying complete attention to my larger surroundings. All of a sudden I heard a tremendous clattering of rocks very close by, perhaps no more than a couple dozen feet away, and having no idea what would cause such a thing my response was mild panic. I quickly looked up and saw three bighorns very close to me, apparently as surprised by me as I was by them. I immediately began to drop my pack so that I could get to my camera, envisioning a photograph of these noble-looking creatures against the background of this rocky slope. I quickly removed the pack, grabbed my camera, and rose back up to make a photograph… only to see the rear ends of the departing critters perhaps a few hundred yards away on the steep talus slope.

The circumstances of this photograph were much less dramatic, I must admit. While driving along the Mount Carmel Highway over the high country of Zion National Park we simply looked up and saw a small herd or a dozen or more of the animals right above the roadway. I knew they were in the area since earlier I had heard rockfall far above the road, looked up, and seen two of them grazing very high on the slope. But to see such a large group this close was a bit of a surprise. Since I was traveling light on this trip I did not have my longest lens, so I worked with what I had and settled in to see what might develop. The larger group clustered around a bush a bit too far up the slope – and they were apparently not intrigued with the idea of posing, as they stood around with their butts pointing in my direction! One or two of them separated from the main group and soon this group of three made its way down across the sandstone to some brush a bit closer to me.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon

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Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon - A tree in autumn foliage grows in the pink-sand bottom of a slot canyon, Zion National Park
A tree in autumn foliage grows in the pink-sand bottom of a slot canyon, Zion National Park

Autumn Trees, Slot Canyon. Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A tree in autumn foliage grows in the pink-sand bottom of a slot canyon, Zion National Park

This little slot canyon and the wider sections above and below were a productive place for photography when I was there during the latter part of October. Dropping down into one of the small washes we saw while driving along through the area, we first were attracted by the bright foliage of some red maples – hard to resist! Once we reached the creek bed, however, it was equally hard to resist walking along the sandy bed and seeing what else we could find. Soon the canyon narrowed and the rock walls became closer together and we were in a short section of slot canyon.

The light in these places is almost always soft since it is rare for direct sunlight to get to the bottom of such canyons, especially at this time of the year and in canyons that are much deeper than they are wide. I think that because I was near the point where the canyon narrowed there was still enough light to support the growth of this tree.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Color, Escalante River

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Autumn Color, Escalante River - Cottonwood tree fall color below sandstone cliffs along the Escalante River, Utah
Cottonwood tree fall color below sandstone cliffs along the Escalante River, Utah

Autumn Color, Escalante River. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. October 29, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cottonwood tree fall color below sandstone cliffs along the Escalante River, Utah

This is another photograph made on our second attempt to photograph this area during the last half of October, 2012. The first time had been a day that was a beautiful one in many ways, but a photographically problematic one in others – with cold, very strong winds, clouds, and even a bit of rain. So nearly a week later we found ourselves back in the same general area and we decided to give it another try. This turned out to be a good decision, as all of those factors that had impeded photography the first time were now gone, and we had beautiful light, good fall colors, almost no wind.

There are many things that appeal to me about photographing in this kind of country. The rock itself is high on the list, for its range of intense colors along with the fact that it is the source of the many beautiful and compelling canyons that are found here. The fall foliage is another factor. After my Sierra Nevada colors have mostly gone (at least on the east side where the aspens grow) the low elevation colors of oak, maple, box elder, and cottonwood reach their peak. Other plants produce their own unique and sometimes subtle effects – such as the widely varied coloration of the tamarisk plants, which can include everything from black and gray through blue to yellow, red, and even purple. But above all is the quality of the light in these places, especially when it bounces down from high rock faces to light the depths of narrow canyons, taking on the coloration of the higher rocks, softening the lighting below, and often producing a glowing effect that must be seen to be believed. The light in this photograph is such light, reflected from a very large and sun-lit face to the left of my camera position.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.