Tag Archives: water

Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog

Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog
“Clearing Storm, Lake, and Fog” — Evening fog drifts over moutains around a Sierra Nevada mountain lake as storm clouds clear.

I made this photograph on a rather remarkable Sierra evening. Late the previous day it had started to rain. Contrary to my expectations and experience, this turned out to not be just another afternoon shower — it absolutely poured, confining us to tents for hours and restricting our photography well into the next day. Finally the rain began to let up and we got out, though everything remained gray and wet. It wasn’t until the second evening, right around sunset, that the clouds finally broke enough to let in some light. But what light it was — perhaps a reward for our forbearance during the storm!

This photograph has been sitting in the archives for quite some time. I have looked at it in periodically and puzzled over how to handle it. The challenge was that the sky color was bright and extremely intense, so my exposure had to leave the foreground in deep shadow. This week I came back to the photo and figured out how to process it. Part of the challenge was technical, but it was also aesthetic — a question of how bright to make things and still retain the sense of oncoming twilight.


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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River Ouse, Evening

River Ouse, Evening
“River Ouse, Evening” — Early evening light on buildings along the River Ouse, York, England.

I believe that I made this photograph on our last evening in York this past June. We had spent the day wandering the central old city, occasionally in rain, and we were now headed back to our lodgings on a road that paralleled the River Ouse as it passes through the center of the city. It was a straight shot to our destination up a street we had walked a few times, but I saw a side street heading towards the water and decided to detour.

It turned out that a few others had the same idea, apparently coming to the quiet banks of the river to enjoy the evening. As we watched the end-of-day light take on warmer tones, a group (perhaps from a local school) of young people assembled on the opposite bank in front of this neighborhood of older brick buildings.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Cobblestones in Rain, York

Cobblestones in Rain, York
“Cobblestones in Rain, York” — Rain-slicked cobblestones in York, England.

The weather was rather varied during our brief early June stay in York, England. As I share photographs from the visit, you’ll see some made in lovely sun and others, like this, in more challenging weather. We were out for a wander on this day and clouds eventually turned to rain as we walked near the Yorkminster Church. As the light rain started — and before we decided to beat a retreat to a nearby restaurant for shelter and lunch — I paused to make this photograph of a cobbled street.

Photographs of particular places can suggest them to varying degrees. Clearly a photograph of a specific, iconic feature ties the image to the location with precision. Other photographs may work more subtly, perhaps capturing something of the mood of the place without shouting its name. And others may not be location-specific at all — like this one, which features a small scene that you could probably find on a rainy day in many places.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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River Thames at Blackfriars Bridge

River Thames at Blackfriars Bridge
“River Thames at Blackfriars Bridge” — A boat on the River Thames cruises toward Blackfriars Bridge near central London.

You couldn’t ask for a lovelier London day in June, with blue skies dotted with fluffy clouds and pleasant temperatures. (The first time we visited London we were surprised by downright uncomfortably hot weather.) This photograph looks across the River Thames near Blackfriars Bridge toward a section of downtown London featuring large, modern towers. If you look closely, you might spot a few people wandering along the banks of the river at lower right.

London wasn’t our primary destination on this visit, though we were happy to be there again. The first part of this trip featured three weeks in Scotland. We started with a few jet lag adjustment days in Oban and Fort William before spending the next week walking from Fort William to Inverness on the Great Glen Way. From there we returned to civilization, with stays in Inverness, Stirling, Glasgow, and Edinburgh before taking the train south to York and London.


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 | PostEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.